Something Worth Fighting For
by foreveryoungfighter
Summary: Edward Masen: Rising star, Number 3 leight weight boxer and ontop of the world...with a dark past. Bella Swan: Leading reporter at a dead end Newspaper who has always had to fight. How will Bella react to her first huge story: Edward Masen. ON TEMP HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1: Blood, Sweat and Tears

**Something Worth Fighting For  
****Chapter 1: Blood, Sweat and Tears**

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**First and foremonst, I would like to thank my lovely Beta, DS! You're awsome and thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how you saved me and this story! haha!:D**

**I would like to say thank you to anyone who happens to stumble upon this story and manages to read through it all...and hopefully like it! haha! now, just for some common knowledge on the history of this story, the inspiration for this story was drawn from my new favorite movie "The Fighter" and another boxing series that i am totally in love with at the moment. It is also drawn from the lives of boxers and what they have to go through everyday. I'm a total boxing junky so...yeah. I've never written a FF story before-even though i've read like every awsome story on here- so i beg of you all to go lightly on me and REVIEW please! thanks you guys!**

**I hope you all like it!**

**and here we go...**

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**Edward Mason **

One of the verb usages for the word _whore_ is _to seek that which is immoral, idolatrous, etc. _

Doing what I 'do' and being what I 'am' fits almost perfectly in that description. On top of that _perfect_ description, I _abuse_ my body to horrible extents and _use_ other people for the one thing that makes this shitty world go round: money. So in a sense, I am a whore. A whore that was not forced into my line of work, but went willingly to earn nothing else but _money_, NOT the pleasure, satisfaction or the rush of being fucked over and over again, but the money. Then again, what good whore do you know that goes into that kind of business for the pleasure, satisfaction or rush for anyone other than the good paying customer?

I had idolized the others who took on this sort of profession before I had, as did many other boys my age did and still do today. Little did we know what the pictures of the men we idolized laminated onto trading cards, covering TV channels, plastered on billboards and posters that hung on our walls had to go through every day to get into and out of the profession they chose alive. They were our heroes and idols for one reason, but should have been for an utterly different one.

The gloves my heroes wore daily were symbols to the poor kids of New Jersey. Myself included. They were a symbol of the men who were just like us and made it out of the streets and into the lap of luxury, not that we didn't know that living big came with a cost. We all know living big and small, like we did, came with a price.

But now that I know better, those gloves meant something a lot different to me. They meant that blood, sweat and tears would not only be shed but would be trapped in the stitching of the vinyl of these horrendous tools. They meant you would either eat or starve tonight. They meant life or death and sometimes they meant you would rise or fall and for most…it was fall.

I could remember growing up watching the biggest idols in the world on TV every Sunday night; Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano, Jack Johnson, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Joe Frazier…you name them I knew everything about them.

I knew how many belts they earned and for what division, I knew how many blows they could throw and in how many minutes, I knew signature moves, weights and divisions. I had thrown myself into the world of boxing at an early age as if addicted to the sport. If I were an addict, though, I probably would have been to rehab a few time. I mean, even bad addicts have shorts periods of sobriety, but me, never. I did everything in my power to understand how a boxer ticked and why they did what they did, although, behind every obsession was a relaying reason, right?

My reason wasn't because I grew up in Jersey. It wasn't because I grew up poor either. It was because boxing was my vice. In stead of watching the fights that went on between my parents about money, or work and watching the blood, sweat and tears be shed there, I watched it go on in rings where the blood, sweat and tears were welcomed and not tuned out.

These men showed that determination, no matter how hard something was, would lead you to the very top. They showed that whatever kept you motivated had to be something that was worth fighting for, and when you did fight for it, you fight with everything your body, mind, heart and soul has. You make sure that whatever keeps you motivated is worth shedding blood, sweat and tears and will make you stand stronger even after you've fallen.

My family was just that motivation for me.

Ever since I could remember, we hadn't been even close to wealthy. We had enough for groceries and a two bedroom house on the north side of New Jersey, which wasn't saying much because living on the north side of Jersey wasn't exactly living the good life. My father was a factory worker and worked sixty hours a week, while my mother was a nurse, working eighty hours a week, leaving me and my younger sister, Alice, to fend for ourselves most of our lives.

I could easily remember playing in the enormous concrete sewage ditches that had been emptied for almost thirty years because we didn't have parks around and even though Alice was the type of little girl who wanted-deserved- the beautiful dolls and Barbie's you saw in stores, we couldn't afford them and we both needed some form of entertainment when cartoons or boxing matches weren't on.

Even as a kid, I took Alice with me everywhere because leaving her at home alone was never an option in Jersey, especially the part of town we lived in. I took care of my sister my whole life, the best I could but sometimes it came to blows as we got older.

I'm not gunna lie and say my sister wasn't an attractive girl, with her long black hair, tiny frame and green eyes that matched my own, because when it came to my family, we were all attractive-just _dirt poor_. As I got older, Alice did too, causing guys to look at her more often and most of the time in New York, guys aren't so subtle about coming on to girls. My little sister would come up crying to me sometimes, telling me how a guy had grabbed her in such a way that made her feel dirty and cheap, and I would let the guy know how I felt about it, in a not so subtle way.

I got kicked out of more than one school for fighting, yeah, but if it hadn't been for my rough patches through my teen years, I would have never met my first real mentor and father figure; Carlisle Cullen.

I had been walking home from school one day (after getting into a fight with some guy about bumping into me in the hallway with my backpack digging into my shoulders from all the books I had in there, when I passed by a building I had never noticed before that day. Usually I kept my head down when I walked home from school, trying not to look anyone in the eye and keep my senses on edge in case anyone tried to jump me on the way home. It happened all the time in my part of the city, so I knew better and tried to stay invisible and aware.

_Boxer's Ring, _the large, blue painted, brick wall read in huge, white cursive letters. Below read the phone number and the name of the owner. It piqued my interest at the name. Knowing how to fight in Jersey was a skill that would be well used around here.

I hesitated for a moment, calculating whether or not Alice would be home safely by now, and decided to finally just go in. As I walked through the heavy, metal doors that led into the _Boxer's Ring _I felt my heart start to speed up and gradually climb from my chest, up into my throat.

As soon as you walked in the smell of vinyl, leather, sweat and heat filled your nostrils. The entire inside of the square cut building was made of concrete; the walls, the floors, and even a few benches that seemed to be molded into the floor below my old and worn out sneakers. There was equipment I had never seen before lining every single inch of wall available and right smack in the middle of it all, was a boxing ring.

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life, with four large red posts wrapped in padding to keep you from knocking into it too hard and each connected by three, white, elastic cords that could swing you back into an opponent easily. The blue box beneath raised the ring off the floor a good four feet off the ground and read _Property of Boxer's Ring _on the side where the steps that allowed you to walk up to the box was displayed.

What had captured me the most was the two men brawling right in the middle of that ring. I couldn't see their faces, due to the position their hands were held in to shield from any blows being thrown at them but as I watched their entrancing circling I knew right then and there that this was what I wanted to do. What I wanted to be. _Who_ I wanted to be.

The blonde man lunged forward at the darker male with such grace and fluidity that I gasped as he threw six or seven blows within seconds, causing his competitor to fall back into the cords, and gripping onto them for support. The blonde male was the winner with out a doubt. They laughed loudly at something one of them had said as they pulled off their gloves with ease and the blonde male helped the other to his feet, patting him graciously on the back, neither holding grudges towards one another at all. As they hopped down from the large box of the boxing ring the darker male left to what I presumed was the showers through a large blue push through door. The blonde male grabbed a fluffy white towel and water bottle before noticing me.

As he looked up from taking a swig of his water, he stopped dead in his tracks, a few feet away from me now. At first, I thought he was going to kick me out for trespassing or something and I really wouldn't have cared, seeing boxing like that, all up close and personal was the most magical thing in my life. He didn't kick me out, though. He smiled down at me and placed a hand on his hip, taking another swig of water.

"You come here to take lessons?" the stranger asked. He set down his water bottle and was now using the towel to wipe off the sweat that poured from his face.

All I could do was stare up at the man in awe, trying to take him all in. I couldn't exactly find my mouth…or words at the moment.

"Huh?" I finally managed to struggle out. He chuckled and threw the towel in the same place he had put his water bottle down.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked in a gentle tone as he looked over me in an assessing manner. Not something you'd expect form such a great fighter.

"E-Edward." I stuttered out. "Edward Mason." I said with a bit more confidence and tried adjusting my heavy backpack into a better position on my shoulders. Something caught his eye and soon he was grinning ear to ear.

"Well, Edward, do you know how to fight?" he asked as his eyes bored into my own. It was a question that about half the population of my high school knew the answer to.

"Yeah. I guess." I shrugged casually, as I tried to remain as calm as possible. His grin grew wider.

"You have bruises on your knuckles." he said taking a step forward and plied my hands away from my backpack strap.

"Yeah," I cleared my throat nervously as he looked over my purple and blue knuckles from the fight earlier today.

"Well," he sighed and reached behind him to grab something off the self above his head. "Why'd you fight the guy?" he asked, not looking me in the eye. Instead, he opened a bottle of something that smelled foul and poured it onto my knuckles.

I hissed in pain and tried to retract my hand from him, but his grip was firm. He soon began wrapping my hand in something soft and sturdy. It was some sort of blue spongy tape first and then another sturdier and much more stable white tape over that.

"I've got a little sister." I said moving my hand after he let it go, for me to examine. I flexed my wrist and wiggled it around a little noticing it felt much better. I heard the stranger, who had just fixed my hand, give another low chuckle. I looked up to see him smiling down at me.

"That's a good reason," he offered at me and sighed while shaking his head. As he looked back at me I could see something in his eyes and face begin to change.

"You want to learn how to fight, for real?" he asked, leaning in to stare at me eagerly.

_Yes! _I wanted to scream. _More than anything!_ But I knew I couldn't afford it. Even if I had a job, I still had to wait until my next birthday until I could even apply for a stupid job at Burger King.

I looked down at my shoes that were basically falling apart and adjusted my backpack again for the millionth time.

"Money is…tight right now," I shifted my gaze back to the floor. "I can't afford it." I mumbled, kicking an invisible rock in shame.

"I didn't ask for money, son." Carlisle stated.

My eyes immediately shot up to stare into his serious ones. He really wasn't asking for anything?

"I asked if you want to learn how to really fight. Not just some jungle gym brawl," he said rolling his eyes at the last sentence. I could feel my heart drop to my stomach in an instant and my mouth bubbled out my answer before I could find my brain.

"More than anything!" I had blathered out. It was true. My whole life I had spent countless weekends watching boxing matches between the most famous boxers of our time and now I was being offered a chance to possibly be one, someday.

Sometimes I think of what might have happened if I hadn't of walked into Carlisle's gym that day after school. I wonder what my life would have been like if I had just kept my eyes down and stayed invisible and aware. I wonder if I would have been noticed in anything else other than boxing-maybe academics or something like that. And I wonder if I would have gone to college rather than fought my first big match in Madison Square Garden. I wonder weather or not I would have been able to get my family out of that house on the north side of Jersey and where we would be today and honestly I don't think it would have happened.

So for right now, if it meant giving my family, a safe place to live, keeping food on the table and diamonds on my baby sister's ears-I wouldn't mind being a whore. Not for one second, because they are my motivation. My family is the one thing that makes me get up when I want to stay down. They are the one thing that makes the camera flashes, the blood, the sweat, the tears and the pains and the joys of being a number three lightweight boxer in the world right now, well worth it.

I do everything I do for my family and I will never give up.

My name is Edward Mason.

I am the number three boxer, lightweight division, in the world and I came to _win_.

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**I hope you guys liked it! **

**BPOV next...**

**Review pleaseee!:D**


	2. Chapter 2: Get Mad, Stand Up

**Something Worth Fighting For  
****Chapter 2: Get Mad, Stand Up**

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**First of all, I do NOT own Twilight! Mrs. Meyer has all the rights to these charecters and she is well worthy to have bragging rights. I just wright the fanfic! **  
**So we got Edward's thoughts into this mess and now onto Bella's. Let's see what wonderful things our beloved heroin has to say about some things around here! yay! **

**Review please!:)****

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**Isabella Swan **

I grew up _safe_. It's an understatement of the word, considering my father is one of the most overbearing cops, if not number one, on the southwest coast. Charlie, my father, considered everything at least six times before doing something. My father thought and rethought investments before sending one dime to some _yellow-bellied-brain-washing company that didn't know that you were supposed to have cracks on only _one_ end of their body, _as Charlie used to say. Charlie didn't let me drive until I was almost eighteen-not to mention the truck he finally gave me couldn't go over 35 mph even if I felt rebellious-and even made sure my mother and I had a curfew. These reasons were probably all the reasons that eventually lead to their divorce.

My mother was the polar opposite of Charlie, with her free spirit persona and the inability to handle modern technology…or a stove. Even though my mother confessed to me from an early age that she loved my father and when they met, in high school, she even found his strict rules and consistency in life charming but after a while I could even see the light she once held in her eyes for my father start to fade at an alarming rate.

The divorce was hard on both of them, but _I_ found it almost a relief. I had put up with my parent's constant bickering, mental and emotional abuse towards each other most of my life and when they finally parted ways, it was as if I could breathe again. They both needed space after everything was settled (apparently they needed several states between them in order to refrain from killing each other) and I understood that, but when the decision came down to who I was going to live with most of the year came up, it was as if a whole other world broke out.

Charlie, being the overbearing and loving father he is, demanded full custody with visitation rights every now and then. Rene wasn't too happy about that. You see, the time my parents decided to split up wasn't exactly the greatest time in my life either. The divorce helped with the tension I had spent my life trying to overcome between the two of them but I was a teenager when they became divorced. I was fifteen, and I knew that if I wanted freedom that the only place I could possibly obtain it was going to be with my mother. Charlie had no room for errors or mistakes in his path for my life. Rene was all about the mistakes, picking yourself up and learning from them. So it was obvious who my choice was going to be when it came to living arrangements and it killed Charlie.

I can't say I came to regret my decision, though. I honestly loved every moment I got to spend with my mother in sunny Arizona. The dry heat never relented and it hardly ever rained, so much different from _un-dry _and_ dreary _Forks. I found passions for literature with my mother, a thing my father hardly ever paid attention to. Charlie was the type that had prayed for a son, but when he got a daughter, tried to force her into every boy related thing possible, since he, himself, had once been the star quarterback of Forks Highschool's football team. Rene allowed me to grow in ways that I knew Charlie could but I still loved them both, equally.

The time I did spend with my father was always leisurely, relaxed and above all…calm. My father had never been calm when him and my mother had still been married and to be brutally honest, it scared me. It wasn't a fear for myself, but a fear for my father. I was scared that maybe he would never move on like my mother had. Maybe he would stay alone for the rest of his life and never want another woman around…I was scared that maybe it was for the best. Charlie deserved someone to love and someone that loved him back, because I knew how much love Charlie could give and it was incredible, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

I found my love for writing, taking notes, structure, photography…reporting, in Arizona. My mother had been a freelance photographer most of her adult life and easily taught me how to use a Kodak digital that most pros used within a few days time. I knew photography was a great thing and then came the writing. My mother's intimacy with literature spawned my love of writing form the very beginning, but not the type of writing authors did. I liked to write about things that interested people and attracted the eye without hesitation. I had already known what I wanted to do and it wasn't hard to work it out by the time I made it to college.

College was the hardest part of my life, not only because of the intense work load and stress but then there was my difficulty with relationships. Charlie and Rene had badgered it into my head that dating and marriage were like the kiss of death and that if I got married before the age of oh, sixty, I would be disowned. Yeah, you laugh now at what you think is some sick joke, but let me tell you people…I'm definitely _not_ kidding. Every time I had attempted a relationship with a man, I saw my parents, thanks to both of their constant drilling. Every time someone got too close I thought of their bickering or their hatred for each other that they held in their eyes. I hated it, yes, the less distractions I had, the more time I had to work and become exactly what I wanted to be.

I became what I wanted, gained what I wanted in life and pushed through everything in my life that had come into my way, may it be bills that were always stacked into a pile on my kitchen counter in my little one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, relationship problems, no family being around or even trouble at my job and/or work place. I could still remember the time I ever had an issue with someone at work. Incidentally, it was a man. And not just any man. It was my _boss_.

"Isabella." I heard a curt cough come from behind me. I had been asked by one of my fellow secretaries if I could do some copying of a few memos for her while she went out to lunch and after excepting I wound up here, in a small and brightly lit room furthest from the nearest cubical.

"M-Mr. Banner?" I stuttered out nervously as I felt a purple elephant automatically be placed in the room. With his balding head, sickly pale skin and that disgusting look he always held in his eyes made me feel repulsed and nervous around him. I was sure Mr. banner could hear my heart beating loudly inside my chest with anxiety. I knew he cloud when he ran his sickening tongue over his yellowed teeth with anticipation and smirked down at me.

"D-do you n-need something, sir?" I asked as he took a small step forward, sending my ass into the copy machine. I was pinned.

He let out a cocky chuckle as I tried to swallow back my nerves. It didn't work. I scanned the room as Mr. banner's ugly, chapped lips opened to speak, hoping to god someone could hear me if I screamed or if there was a way out, without being able to grab me. There wasn't.

"Yes, I do need something, Miss Swan." his tone was eager, which made my already stumbling heart spead up about ten times faster, causing the blood that rushed over my entire face at the moment to move faster.

"Well, I can g-get it for you!" I stumbled as I grabbed the papers I had promised to my co worker and plowed as fast as I could past Mr. Banner. He didn't have enough time to stop me, even though I was in three inch heels and a _very_ tight pencil skirt.

I had stumbled back to my little cubical and fought with myself internally for hours. I questioned my ability to work, my ability to stand my ground and show men like that, that they wouldn't be able to shake a woman like me. I had worked my way through college, I had the degrees and this was how I wound up being treated! I had student loans to pay, dues to put in and I knew there were women who slept their way to the top and on a rare occasion…made it to the top. I wasn't going to be that girl. Even if I had to work my ass off in the mail room I would…but not at that place. I refused.

"_Promise me, you will never let a man control your life, Bella." _my mother's voice rang firm in my ears. My mother never had issues expressing her loathing of men to me and at that moment, those few words seemed to help me stand when I found it much more difficult then ever. I wouldn't let some man who attempted to make a pass at me control what I wanted to do and who I was. It wasn't right and I wouldn't allow it to happen.

I remember physically standing up from my cubical after seeing Mr. Banner scuttle back to his office, across from mine, the blinds still open. My body and mind were in sync for one. Everything emanating off of me emanated rage, horror and above all…disgust. Had every woman in this office have to go through something like this from Mr. Banner? I felt my jaw tighten unforgiving as my hands balled up into fists and blood rushed to my face, this time it wasn't due to my embarrassment.

I had made a promise to my mother a long time ago that I wouldn't let a man control my life back then, and now I was making my own silent promise to all the women in this office-all the women across the world!- who had been subjected to pinching, poking, shoving, undermining and the cat calls that I wouldn't let a man control me or _them,_ now.

I felt my the end of my heels scrape the linoleum under my feet like nails on a chalk board as I stormed across the little ways between his office and my cubical and practically kicked the door down, only to see Mr. Banner staring idly at something on his company computer screen. He had the nerve to look up shocked and almost utterly pissed.

"Miss Swan-"

"You are the most disgusting, self centered, neurotic, blue balled PIG I have ever seen in my entire life!" I roared out, not caring if the woman back in their shitty little cubicles hear me. In fact, I hoped they heard me as this dip shit gawked at me as if I were the second coming. He didn't speak, but then again I didn't give him room.

"You think that as a man and that you are the boss you can get anyone in this office to drop to their knees with a shake of your belt buckle." I spat at him as I heard a few quiet shuffles form behind me.

"These woman are mothers," I began as my voice began to rise in pitch. "daughters, sisters, grandmothers. Their pictures are in someone's wallet's, they work to support children and families and here you are taking advantage of the fact that these women need these jobs and you know that they will put up with your…crap so they can keep food on the table! I don't know how you live with yourself, or sleep at night," I could envision my own mother having to be harassed like this everyday just in order to keep food on the table, only making my rage start to press me further.

"But you will rot in hell!" the silence coming from my employer only pressed me even further, again.

"I'm NEVER going to put up with it again, though." I assured him in a matter-of-factly tone. "I'll find a different job. I worked for everything I have and I will not be discouraged by a piece of swine, such as yourselves." I hissed as I heard a low group of snickers form behind me now, slowly getting louder in volume. Mr. Banner just kept staring, agape, and tried to remain non volatile…for now.

"So in other words, Mr. Banner." I glared through narrowed eyes as my tone was colder than ever.

"I resign."

The roar of applause and hollering from the women gathered behind me took me by surprise. I instantly turned to see every woman in this level right in front of the window and the opened door, listening. I know I needed to leave and right now, it seemed appropriate, considering I just quit after calling my former employer basically a pile of horse shit.

I walked back to my cubicle past every grateful woman, thanking me, some with tears in their eyes, some with that _cat-got-the-cream _smirk and strutted back to gather my things with as much swagger as I could possibly posses.

"_The reason we are on this earth, Bella_," my grandmother once told me. "_Is to give love and let love in._"

_Well, ladies_, my subconscious spoke lovingly. _I'm giving you all of my love. _

As I finally made it to the elevator, the roar of clapping was still clearly apparent and probably noticeable from downtown. I noticed, as I pressed the button for the button to the elevator, that in front of the entire crowd of women, stood a fragile looking woman in her early thirties, probably. I had chatted with her often enough at lunch but couldn't remember her name at this very second. There were tears pouring from her eyes as she mouthed the two words I didn't anticipate or expect to hear from anyone today.

"Thank you."

I had given up that position because I stood up for something I believed in. I had my mother's voice inside my head and my father's mindset in many ways. I had the perfect balance of them both and knew that they were the only ones to be thanked, not me. I was simply the messenger that I'm sure all these women had prayed for. I was the liberator that they were too scared to be. I was THEM, all of them, and for a split second I became their voice over the silence men like Mr. Banner had forced them into.

I had given all my love to these women and they were giving me their love back in return. And I accepted their love whole heartedly as I stepped into that elevator. I had landed my current job a few weeks after that incident and a few weeks after that, I caught word of something that piqued my interest.

Mr. Banner had been fired three days after my little up roar, for several-about 90-recent reports of sexual harassment in the workplace and was replaced with a woman. That's when I knew my voice needed to be heard…and as a reporter I could do that.

I had to fight, to claw, to draw inner strength and believe in myself throughout my life. I had to put up with screaming and tears, taking care of my parents and setting aside my own happiness sometimes form a very early age…but it made me a fighter. It made me strap on my own boxing gloves to fight against my very own heavy weight opponent; the bitch herself, Life.

At the end of the day though, I could fall asleep, though scraped up and bruised…knowing that if I fought hard enough, kept my guard up and chin down, then I would be alright, knowing who and what I stand for.

I'm Isabella Marie Swan, voice and reporter. I came to be heard.


	3. Chapter 3: Holy Interviews, Batman!

**Chapter 3: Holy Interviews, Batman!**

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**So i would like to thank all my wonderful Beta's for their hard work and pulling this out for me on such short notice. You guys are awsome and i love you already!:D**

**So...we have seen their pasts and now it's into the present! Here we go...**

**Review guys! Come on!**

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****Isabella Swan**

"Miss Swan," Jessica, my secretary, called over my intercom that attached to the phone planted on my desk before me. I sighed, heavily annoyed, taking my eyes off the research I had been doing on my laptop and leaned forward to press the button to respond on the phone.

"Yes Jessica?" I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance as I snapped at her through the phone.

She knew I hated being disturbed during my research times and it was pretty apparent through my voice that I was royally pissed off right now, seeming to find nothing on the newest story I was assigned by the head of the news paper I wrote for.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, ma'm, but Mr. Newton is here to see you," her nasally voice said sheepishly through the intercom.

I internally groaned at the thought of _Mike Newton _sitting only a few feet away from me here in my office. Mike being here meant one thing and one thing only; new story. Ugh! I had barely started to gather some information up on the story he wanted about exploitation of _men_ in the porn industry-yeah, pretty fucking stupid-and now he was going to add another stupid story to my huge pile. Great!

"Send him in." I huffed, trying to sound as polite as I possibly could, knowing Mike was probably within earshot of the intercom Jessica was using and she was far too stupid to know how to use an earpiece. As I waited I went back to my research, not particularly enjoying this topic Mike had so eagerly given to me.

As I rolled my eyes at some stupid Wikipedia page that was on the Pornography industry when I heard a knock at my door. I looked up, already knowing Mr. Newton would be letting himself in, as usual, so I felt no need to stand to greet him or open the door.

"Hello, Isabella." Mike purred, his stupid cocky grin plastered onto his boyish face that I found completely moronic most of the time, other times I just found it disgusting. Mike isn't exactly at the top of my favorite people list, if you couldn't tell.

"Mike." I nodded towards him politely and shut my laptop slowly, trying to buy myself some time after he sat down in the one of the chairs sitting in front of my desk.

"You are going to be absolutely _in love _with me in about, oh, I don't know.. ten seconds." Mike sang in an octave way too high for a man to be able to sing as he unbuttoned the only button on his suit jacket and attempted to relax in the seemingly uncomfortable chairs before me.

"And why is that, Mike?" my tone was deadpan. I tried to remain respectable and folded my hands onto my lap, while glowering down at him. I really didn't want to be disrupted today and he had the fucking nerve to come in here and do exactly what I didn't want to happen: bring a new stupid story to add to the pile and then bark at me when the twenty stories weren't covered in two days.

"Two words," Mike whispered, leaning in, trying to seem seductive and clapped his clammy hands together, "Edward Mason!"

I remained silent.

"Have you heard of him?" Mike asked in a tone I thought only little boys would used, probably wondering if I lived under a rock.

_Hmm. The expression suits the obnoxious face it's on. _I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts for a moment and let Mike's question sink in. _Edward Mason_. _The world famous boxer from Jersey?_

Of course I had heard of him! Not only was he one of the_ greatest _boxers in the world -and my father was practically obsessed with him ever since his career had began- but he was also one of the_ most _eligible, and wealthy, bachelors of New York City.

"Yes," I answered blankly, "I have heard of ?"

My question was one of suspicion, knowing this had to be going somewhere. Mike smiled up at me with that hideous _I'm-trying-to-seduce-you _grin and folded his pale fingers in front of his face.

"Miss Swan," Mike leaned forward, still grinning. "You are the best reporter I have on this paper,"

His complement was aimless. I was the _only_ reporter, besides Eric Yorkie who covered stupid stories on the weather and disasters already covered by CNN; that really wasn't reporting in my book though.

"I have a few connections with Mr. Mason's trainer, _Carlisle Cullen_," the smugness emanating off his voice was so thick in the air that I had to clear my throat, "And managed to coax Mr. Cullen into letting _The New York Newspaper_ get an interview with Mr. Mason himself."

This piqued my interest instantly. Mr. Mason never did interviews and it was a widely known fact with reporters such as myself. I leaned forward as Mike spoke, noticing his repulsive grin widen at my interest.

"And what, exactly, does this have to do with me?" I raised an eyebrow at him, setting my lips into a tight grimace. Was Mike going to dangle this in front of me and try to get me to go out with him or something? I would do it, for the interview, but I _wouldn't_ like it.

"I want you to cover the story, Miss Swan." he said nodding towards me gently. I took in a deep breath of shock as I examined his face. Mike was swine, everyone was aware of this, but I could tell that something about this story and my covering it, was making him as delighted as rolling in his own shit all day.

"What's the catch, Mike?" I didn't hesitate to ask. I wasn't going to let Mike yank me around on some stupid chain while I tried to work my ass and get every story I could to be a hit and maybe recognized by the _New York Times_. I had applied last summer for a position but hadn't heard word back, _yet_.

Working for _The New York Times _had always been my dream, and as a reporter, it meant major bucks coming your way since almost all of New York read that paper, weather it be online or on the old school newspaper. This story was my meal ticket and Mike knew it.

"No catch, Bella." Mike replied swiftly as I noticed his eyes grow darker instantly. I was uncomfortable and suspicious but knew I not only needed this story, but wanted it immediately. I rolled my eyes and shifted in my chair uncomfortably before speaking towards the pig.

"Alright then." I cleared my throat, "When is this interview?" I opened my laptop to maybe see if I could schedule it in and see what I had for the rest of the week.

"There is no need for scheduling Miss Swan." Mike spoke haughtily, "Mr. Mason is arriving at Madison Square Garden for a charity match against some local fighters in about…half an hour." Mike muttered, glanced at his fake Rolex with that shit eating grin of his.

My eyes shot back up to Mike as I gaped at him in horror. Half an hour? It would take me at least two hours to get to downtown Manhattan at _two o' clock _in the afternoon! It took two hours even if it wasn't rush hour to get anywhere in New York!

"Have a good afternoon, Miss Swan."

Mike let himself out with a low chuckle.

I was far too disgusted with the entire situation at the moment to even think about Mike at the moment, and just decided it wasn't worth the battle. I rose, gathering my laptop and shoving it into my leather messenger bag I used for interviews and then shuffled through my desk, searching for my tape recorder, a pad of paper and a pen. **Never** use pencil during an interview, they break ALL THE TIME! After I had gathered everything I walked out of the office and over to the elevators.

_Edward Mason! _My inner girly-girl squealed in utter delight. _I can't believe I'm actually going to meet and interview the man who every woman wants but can never get! _

On top of it all, I had practically grown up watching Edward Mason fight. Charlie, my father, was form Jersey; so he was particularly sweet on Mason but I didn't like Mason just because of where he came from. Edward Mason held the record for the most punches thrown in five seconds: 25. The man was so beastly that only two could outrank him in the entire _world_ and within a few weeks he would be fighting against them for the title of number one lightweight champion of the world.

As I reached the lobby I spotted Jessica and told her to cancel all my meeting for the rest of the day. She seemed a little frazzled at the fact that I was leaving so early, but I didn't give a damn.

"World's greatest reporter is _out_ the door again." I heard Jessica mumble with a slight chuckle under her breath. I had done this little routine on her a couple of times but I had quite the reason. Edward Mason made half the women in this world want to drop to their knees and she wasn't the one going to pay him a visit today. I shook the comment out of my head and went on my way.

This was it! This was my way out, and I _wasn't_ about to miss a chance of a lifetime.

I was happy I had decided on wearing flats to work today. I had thrown on a simple white button up and a pair of black slacks so walking a few blocks before gabbing a taxi would be easy for me, unlike it would have been with a silk blouse, stilettos and a tight pencil skirt!

Walking in New York was like swimming through a school of fish, everywhere you went people were right there next to you. It wasn't hard to understand the concept of the "Concrete Jungle" once you saw it and walked through it everyday.

After walking a few blocks I was able to find an area not particularly filled with tons of traffic and hailed down a cab as I looked down at my watch.

"Shit!" I only had ten minutes to get there.

Edward Mason had never given an interview to a reporter for a newspaper in his entire career, and _I_ was going to be late! _Fan-freakin-tastic._

"Madison Square Garden!" I yelled at the cabbie, throwing him a hundred dollar bill over the seat, knowing it was well over the coverage charge. He nodded at me through the window after spotting the cash and stepped on it before I could take another breath, sending my body to practically sit glued against the sticky seats behind me. I was lucky there wasn't that much traffic at the moment but I knew it would be picking up here pretty soon.

I felt the cabby take a couple of sharp turns, forcing me this way and that; then parking abruptly, sending me flying into my seatbelt, which slammed me back into my seat. I looked at the clock on the cabby's dashboard and ran out of the cab. I had three minutes to get inside, find Mr. Mason, and look less like an insane person.

"Keep the change!" I yelled to the cabby as I gathered up my bag onto my shoulder and scrambled up the steps and into the doors. I ran up to the front desk and panted heavily as I tried to speak towards the leggy blonde up front, her name tag reading: Tanya.

I rolled my eyes inwardly.

"Edward Mason." I rasped out.

She scoffed at me-for either my appearance or my reaction to who I was about to meet- and rolled her eyes, "Third floor." She wasn't even looking at me as she clicked her nails. "He'll be in the first conference room to your left."

I rushed towards the nearest elevator. I could hear a couple of men speaking as I ran as hard as I could to the already closing elevator doors before. I had like thirty seconds to get there!

"Hold the door!" I pleaded in agony, knowing that asking a New Yorker to hold the door for me was like waiting for tsunami in the Mohave Desert. Right as I was about to give up on all hope a hand form the inside reached out to the gap of the closing doors, making them halt for a moment, then reopen once more. I sprinted now, seeing a blur of two men inside the elevator as I launched myself into the small area, ramming head first into one of the men, sending him backwards into the back wall of the elevator and me to the floor.

"I am," I gasped for air, trying to gain back some oxygen to my staggering lungs.

"So sorry!" I was panting now, as I tried to gather up my note pad that had fallen out of my bag on the floor.

"It's alright." the Jersey accent made me smile lightly for a moment-reminding me of my father-as I braced my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

"I'm glad you made it." the beautiful voice as smooth as velvet, lined with that familiar accent laughed lightly and reassured me gently. It took me a long moment before realizing the hand that was now offered out towards me.

After a few moments of trying to restore my breathing habits I took the hand that was so graciously offered in front of me and looked up, only to be met by the most dazzling set of emerald green eyes I could never mistake those eyes for another pair.

"Are you sure, you are alright?" the voice asked again as this man helped me up. My eyes widened in shock and disbelief as I looked up at none other than Edward Mason himself. I'm sure I heard my jaw unhinge and hit the floor. His lips turned up into an amused smiled as I pulled my hand out of his, still feeling the slight tingle his touch left on my skin, and I cleared my throat as I practically felt my entire face and neck turn crimson.

"I'm fine, thank you." I squeaked out. I glanced towards the person beside him, and after spotting movement from the corner of my eye, I gasped in awe. _Oh my god_!_ It was Carlisle Cullen! Edward Mason's one and only trainer since he was fourteen._ I was in awe and even considered dropping at both their feet in worship; I didn't though. I did need to maintain some form of dignity, here.

"Mr. Mason," I greeted as I out stretched my hand towards him. "My father and I are huge fans." I was shaking his hand a little too hard as he chuckled, smiling at me in amusement.

"Of the you both!" I gushed, smiling towards Mr. Cullen, who seemed as if he were trying to stifle a laugh or two as he bit down on his lip. Mr. Mason looked over me for a moment, smiling that billion-dollar, Colgate smile that no one had never suffered one chipped, cracked, broken or lose tooth from a fight.

"Well, thank you." Mason nodded, taking my hand as I nodded towards him. He was nothing short of a god with his white v-neck showing off his perfectly sculpted biceps, and his disheveled copper hair sticking up every which way.

"Mr. Cullen, it's a _great_ honor." I was totally kissing ass, when I took my hand out of Edward's to offer it to Mr. Cullen, but at the moment I honestly didn't care. These men were not only my heroes but hey were _legends all over the world_. Mr. Cullen took my tiny hand in comparison to his, using his death grip handshake that made me flinch slightly, and gave a gracious smile and nodded in thanks.

"And your name is…?" Mr. Mason asked as I refocused on him. He was so handsome it practically hurt to look at him. No wonder he was such a great boxer, he blinded people with his beauty before fighting them! The WBA (World Boxing Association) should have restrictions on how beautiful a man can be to fight against another person**. **

"I-Isabella." I stuttered out in a slur. Mr. Mason and his trainer seemed to be having a great little laugh at my expense, and the blood rushing up over my cheeks didn't help matters any.

"I'm sorry," I sighed as I cleared my throat and adjusted my stance, trying to seem a bit more professional. "I'm Isabella Swan. I'm interviewing you today." I smiled up at them both as I heard the elevator let off a soft _Ding!_, reassuring all of us that we were on our floor, and the doors opened for us, revealing a very dull looking hallway.

I had noticed their expressions -_utter shock_, which was a slight slap to the face but I let it go- as we walked out onto the grey carpet you only saw in in doctors office's and waiting rooms. I ignored it and looked over my shoulder with a small smile.

"If you'll follow me, please?" I asked as sweetly as could. Edward was standing two feet behind me, causing every nerve in my body to go hyper sensitive at the moment, with his hands shoved in his jean pockets while Mr. Cullen was the first to move.

Carlisle Cullen looked very young for his age, with his black leather jacket showing every predominant muscle in his body and black slacks fitting well on hit sculpted legs as well. He trained with Edward four times a day, though, so it really wasn't a surprise that he was in great shape.

As I led them towards the conference room the secretary up front had told me was given to me for this very rare occasion, I thought of appropriate questions I could ask. I smiled at a few questions I knew I probably wouldn't get a great answer out of, but those were always the best questions. The questions that made you think, remember and not want to answer.

As I found a solid wood door at the very front of the hall on the right wall, I reached out with a shaky hand and quickly fumbled with the door, way too eager to get this started. I was still fascinated why Mr. Mason had finally agreed to an interview after a two year career and then after that, he decides to give the interview to a lowly, knock off news paper that practically no one even bothered to touch on the magazine stands out on the street. I didn't want to think about his reasons, but instead added all my questions to the list in my head and focused on finding the light switch, flipping on the switch.

The room was actually quit suitable for something of such rarity with hardwood floors that shone from the soft, yellow glow of the chandelier above head and a hardwood, oval shaped table in the middle of the room with a few matching chairs surrounding it and a gift basket obviously meant for Mr. Mason in the center of that table.

I smiled as I heard Mr. Mason and Mr. Cullen whispering about something behind me and went to set up my equipment. I pulled out my laptop and set it on the table next to the closet available chair, feeling my hands still shaking from nerves. I took a few deep and quite breaths to make my body steady itself and smiled when I instantly felt my body comply with the much needed oxygen.

As I sat my note pad down I noticed they still hadn't followed me into this lovely room; so I turned to see Mr. Mason almost bickering with Mr. Cullen, who looked pleadingly at his prodigy. I sighed, knowing our first encounter wasn't exactly the most professional in the world, and he probably was regretting it immensely right now, but I didn't care. I needed this interview, and I was willing to fight for it if I had to.

"You _can_ come in, Mr. Mason." I put on my best cover girl smile and placed a loose strand of hair that had fallen in my face behind my ear.

"You as well, Mr. Cullen." I laughed under my breath. I spoke in my still very sweet voice towards the two of them standing in the doorway, gawking at me, now. Mr. Cullen was the first to walk in but Mr. Mason was right on his heels, running his enormous hand over his stubble and perfect face in exasperation.

I cleared my throat as I sat down and motioned for Mr. Cullen and Mr. Mason to follow in suit. I pulled out my notepad and tape recorder, placing it right beside my open laptop, not turning anything on yet. Mr. Mason had chosen to sit right in front of me; his eyes scanning and monitoring every motion I made as he did before a match. Even an HD, 58 inch, widescreen TV couldn't give you the perfection of his face that you got in person, but I knew every notion this guy used before a fight.

When he fought against Miguel Acosta, a regular champion of the WBA, he had scanned him exactly as he scanned me. If I twitched a finger, Mr. Mason caught it without another breath. It was intimidating, yes, but I didn't mind pressure or intimidation when it came to getting something I needed. In fact, it became my motivation after years of people thinking I couldn't do what I did.

Yes, I was offered jobs as a secretary, a fact checker, an editing assistant, and I accepted them graciously because of the _intimidation_ the people above me held over my head, but it wasn't until Newton found me that I was offered the job I really wanted and learned that intimidation can be used as either your best tool or your breaking point in _any _line of work.

"First off," I began, smiling at the two men before me in immense gratitude. "I want to thank you both for agreeing to have your very first interview with _New York Newspaper_," like I said; a knock off to the _Times_. "And allowing for me to interview you. It's a great honor." I said with all sincerity.

Mr. Mason chuckled and cocked an eyebrow as he leaned back into his seat slightly, apparently trying to become a bit more comfortable. I smiled back at him, not allowing my annoyance and exasperation with this man show at the moment, and spoke once again, remaining sweet and non-hostile.

"So I'll be asking a few questions towards the both of you," I motioned towards both,

Mr. Cullen and Mr. Mason. "And if you don't mind, please answer them to the best of your abilities." I smiled when I noticed they were both becoming seemingly a bit more comfortable with this and nodded towards me in agreement. I nodded back enthusiastically and pressed a button on my recorder and watched to make sure the little red light started flashing so I knew it was recording everything.

I turned back to both men and tried maintaining my smile, holding my pad and a pen in my lap and hand. Both men were waiting patiently and I eagerly complied.

"Being as young as you are, Mr. Mason, how do you deal with the stress of being such a large celebrity, icon, and hero all over the world?" I glanced up at him.

Mr. Mason smiled down at me appealingly but disappointment obviously hovered in his darkening eyes. He folded his hands into his lap, speaking with that charming Jersey accent.

"I grew up idolizing many boxers, like myself, Miss Swan. I wasn't the wealthiest kid in the world, and those men on the TV screens knew what it was like to be a child from the wrong side of town and took pride in setting an example for kids like me. I don't see myself as a hero, a celebrity or an icon. I see myself just as that; _myself_.

"I make decisions everyday, hoping they are the right and the most moral ones, but still being young -like you said- I can't make the perfect choices all the time. But, being myself and knowing the difference between right an wrong _definitely_ helps, but then again…so does punching people in the face all day." we all broke out into slight laughter at Mr. Mason's joke but immediately went back to questioning.

"You said you were a child of poverty, Mr. Mason. If that is true, how did you afford boxing lessons from the age of fourteen, from Mr. Cullen, here?" I looked over to a smiling Carlisle but focused my attention back to Mr. Mason.

"It's a very long, drawn out and painful story, Miss Swan, but in short, I just happened to notice Carlisle's old boxing gym on my way home from school one day and decided to go in. I saw Carlisle fooling around and throwing some punches with a college of his and I instantly knew that was what I wanted to do. I knew, of course, my parents, as a factory worker and nurse who worked their fingers to the bone everyday, wouldn't be able to afford it, but Carlisle decided to train me…for free." there was a light that glimmered in Mr. Mason's eyes, now from some distant memory and he turned to smile back at Carlisle.

"And why was that, Mr. Cullen?" my voice seemed terribly uninterested to me, but in all honesty, this story was bloody brilliant and would have people seeing a whole new light shone on Mr. Mason. He wouldn't be known as cold and distant to the world anymore. He would be connected with millions of people all over the nation, billions all over the _world_!

"I saw instant potential in Edward," Carlisle spoke in a low and caring tone, snapping me out of my thoughts, "I could tell by the bruises on his knuckles were gained from a school yard brawl earlier that day, that he had some things bottled up inside of him that boxing could help let out." Edward stared at Carlisle in bewilderment, obviously not knowing this, "And once I got him in the ring with me, I knew he would be going places. I knew he was going to be great." Carlisle nodded, his eyes focused on the table as he smiled to himself.

I smiled as I jotted down some noted for a brief moment and then went back to focusing on Mr. Mason, who seemed to be staring right at me with confusion set in those deep eyes. I ignored the stare.

"Did boxing ever interfere with family? Relationships? Religion or moral beliefs?" my tone was still very flat, but they seemed to be accustomed to it by now.

Mr. Mason's face fell for a moment, but he soon recovered himself and set his face back into an emotionless stare before answering.

"Yes. All of the above." his tone was stiff and he squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, hands still gripping the arms of the chair below him.

"My first big fight," Mr. Mason began, running his long, pale fingers through his copper hair. Something you didn't see too often in Jersey. "Was not only hard for on my family, mainly my sister and mother, but it was hard on me too. I had several arguments with my mother, telling her this was my dream and that pursuing it would be the only thing that would make me happy.

"Yes, she wanted me to be happy and knew I could fight, but she also knew how other fighters were and how badly they wanted it and trained. She didn't want her son to become a pile of hamburger meat, in other words." he closed his eyes for a moment, a small smile on his lips at another memory of his mother, I presumed and continued.

"My mother had also raised me and my younger sister as strict Catholics. We went to church and bible study every Sunday, we prayed before meals and even read the bible together, sometimes. So you can see where, fighting for the sake of fighting wasn't exactly agreed in my religion." The laughter was back in the room around us but turned quiet again as Mr. Mason finished.

"Relationships," Mr. Mason coughed awkwardly and shook his head with a smirk apparent on his face.

"Relationships are…_complicated_." he ran his hands through his hair again, obviously a sign of stress.

"Because of being in the limelight?"

"That," he agreed with a nod of his head.

"And the fact that no girl really wants to date a guy who beats people up everyday for a living. Most women find it extremely…_intimidating_?" he asked, almost if trying to find the right word for it. He was asking the wrong girl for the answer he was seeking.

"I don't find you intimidating at all, Mr. Mason."

His eyebrow immediately shot up, and a grin formed onto those perfect lips as he leaned forward so his face was closer to my own now. I knew he was trying to see if he could distract me or intimidate me in any way. It wasn't really working at the moment. Any other time-if I wasn't on the job-I would have swooned, fallen over, shrunken back in my face…Something, but not today. I could tell he was impressed by this as he leaned back into his seat.

"Well, that is a first…Miss Swan," his panty dropping grin was still very apparent on his face and honestly, I just wanted to smack it off his face right now. I didn't need any distractions right now.

After a few more less antagonizing question, I easily pressed the button to turn off the recorder and gathered all my things back into my bag before standing to bid both men farewell.

"Thank you, both, so much for this opportunity." I beamed as they both stood with a couple of grunts and groans from sitting so long in those chairs.

"Of course, Miss Swan." Carlisle smiled as he spoke in response. I had grown very fond of Carlisle. The way he had spoken was respectable yet comfortable and kind. I didn't understand how anyone could_ dislike _this man, much less say the horrible things people did on those disgusting gossip columns.

"It was really a pleasure," I said shaking both of their hands.

"My dad is just going to flip out when I tell him I met Edward Mason and Carlisle Cullen," I gushed now, letting my professional façade fall and I was back into my tomboy mode, looking up at these men as if Batman and Robin, themselves were right here in front of me.

They broke out into a fit of chuckles, obviously amused by my indulgence in them, and I pulled out a piece of paper and pen, holding it out to them. It_ was _cheesy, but I knew Charlie would go ballistic if he had something Edward Mason had _spit_ on, much less a signed piece of paper dedicated to him.

They both looked at each other, Edward rolling his eyes before taking it and asking what to write.

"His name's Charlie Swan. Write whatever you like." I waved as I noticed my voice was quivering in excitement. I tried to clear my throat. "He's…in love with you both, to say the least." I sounded like a little kid and I felt like one as I practically bounced on the balls of my feet.

I knew the hard ass routine I had put on this whole time was coming totally undone at the moment but I didn't care, this was better than Disney Land! I mean come on! No lines!

Edward scribbled something and stared at me for a long time, running his eyes up and down my body, then handed it back to me. I glanced over what he had written.

_Charlie,_

_Your daughter is one hell of a reporter. Thanks for the faithfulness to me and my team._

_Hope to see you at a match sometime, I know I'll be seeing your daughter at one very soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Edward Cullen_

I giggled at the letter, noticing one sentence sticking out throughout the others.

_Hope to see you at a match sometime, I know I'll be seeing your daughter at one very soon. _What did he mean by that? I didn't plan, and definitely couldn't afford, to obtain a ticket to one of his upcoming matches. I looked up at both men, baffled, only to realize Mr. Mason was beaming down at me.

As I noticed his eyes locked with mine, I knew the very first thing caught in his glance was…disbelief. I felt my lips part gently as I took in a light breath of air, not caring if anyone, including Mr. Mason, noticed me gawking at this…God, before me.

"Miss Swan," Carlisle coughed, stepping forward and forcing Edward's glance with my own to break. "We had a very nice time this afternoon." I beamed up at him as he spoke, nodding in thanks, "Edward and I would like to extend an invitation to Edward's charity match tonight."

Carlisle shoved his hands into his pockets to pull something I couldn't see clearly, out and placed the object in my hands. In my hands I held a VIP pass, hanging by a black lanyard, to an Edward Mason boxing match! I guess Mr. Cullen could sense my awe of the situation and glanced over at Edward before grinning down towards me and speaking in his delicate tone.

"You _would_ be able to gather more information for your article on Mr. Mason." Carlisle tried to sway me into going. Did they really want me there that badly? He had me at hello.

"Y-you'd really let me do that?" I was astonished.

"Of course." Mr. Mason spoke up now, making my focus waiver from the pass and shift back fully on him. "It is _my _event." his tone was so arrogant it almost fully turned me off, but that crooked grin that crept onto his lips turned me right back into that clump of Play-Dough.

_Goodness gracious this boy was fine! _my inner girl squealed again in delight. I nodded in agreement, with both my inner girl and to Carlisle, as I cradled the pass in my hand as if it were going to go up into flames any minute now.

"A-alright," I whispered as our eyes locked again for only a brief moment, before reality sunk in and my brain began to process the situation at hand.

"Oh my gosh!" I squealed in delight. "T-thank you so much!" I breathe, leaning in to hug Carlisle carefully and then Mr. Mason.

As soon as our bodies touched, I could feel a surge of heat relish over my sensitive body, causing me to jerk slightly in his grasp. It was as if every nerve in my body had shot up at attention once again. I felt his arms slip around my waist as if it were by instinct, forcing my body to instantly pull away. That wasn't a very professional move. Carlisle coughed awkwardly from beside me, and I cleared my throat, feeling the heat from the blood rushing up my face.

"So we will see you there tonight?" Edward shoved his hands into his pockets with his eyes still on the floor. His tone was…_hopeful_? I couldn't believe this! Edward Mason was actually hoping I would go to see him fight, and we've only just met.

"Yes!" I chirped a little too loudly. I tried to regain some of my dignity back and attempted speaking again. "Yes," I spoke breathlessly. "I will…_definitely_ be there!" I was being way too enthusiastic about this. Both men smiled down at me as they started for the door.

"Have a good afternoon, Miss Swan." Carlisle waved; he was the first to leave, a small smile playing upon his lips.

As I watched Edward walk towards the door I felt my heart drop to my stomach. _What is going on with me today?_

Edward turned, right as he was about to exit the door and smiled that Colgate smile again before speaking.

"I'll see you tonight, Miss Swan," he whispered as I beamed up towards him. He nodded a farewell and I sighed, falling back into my chair.

_Edward Mason, my hero and possibly the hottest man on earth, just invited to watch him do what he was best at. I think I'm ready to die now, God._


	4. Chapter 4: Momma Said Knock You Out!

**Something Worth Fighting For**

**Chapter 4: Momma Said Knock You Out**

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**Sorry it took so long to update guys. Something was wrong with Fanfiction and it wouldn't let me upload any chapters for like a week. If you guys ever see that i'm not updating on here, try my story on . I am always able to update on there and i haven't had any problems so far. **

**Thank you all so much for staying with my story. Love you all. Reviews are wonderful!(:**

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**Isabella Swan**

"Edward Mason?" Rosalie shrieked from the kitchen. I had been roommates with Rosalie since we both graduated from high school.

We hadn't exactly been the best of friends during our high school years but incidentally we both attended the same college and then were shoved together as dorm mates. I found out Rosalie was not only gorgeous but a really smart, driven, and wonderful person. She found out I was shy and a total nerd, just like in high school. Even as polar opposites of each other, we were tighter than sisters could ever imagine.

"Yep." I beamed up at Rose as she gaped at me openly.

"Well," she said leaning against the counter with a smug smirk plastered on her perfectly lip glossed lips.

"I think this deserves a celebration!" she announced through our tiny kitchen. I was sitting at the little bar island that separated the kitchen from the living room while Rose was trying to see if she could scrounge something up for dinner. I usually cooked but I was so worn out from the sensational day I just had that I was actually going to chance letting Rose burn the apartment down.

Rosalie was practically jumping around the kitchen like a four year old who just found out they won a puppy when she finally came to a halt, reaching up into our _Secret Stash _cabinet.

She turned to give me her naughty little girl smirk before reaching up and pulling out one of the very few bottles of cheap wine we kept up there. She was giggling after closing the cabinet, strutting back to stand before me. She pulled a few plastic wine glasses we stole from a reception of a colleague of mine's wedding and began to pour the dark, bubbly liquid into the mock glasses.

I chuckled at my silly best friend, waiting for her to do whatever stupid stunt she was going to pull. Rosalie was a real bitch when she wanted to be, but she knew how to put the cherry on top of a great day, too. She didn't do anything too drastic this time, though.

"To Bella," she said, her voice mimicking that of a very deep voiced man. Her brows furrowed as if she were very serious. I tried to make a serious face at her, but couldn't hide my amusement for very long. "The best damn reporter in New York!"

"Here, here!" I went along with her little game and we both took a sip of the sweet-and very cheap-wine before Rosalie went on.

_I guess she doesn't exactly know what a toast is, huh?_

"May those two moths of cheerleading in high school make you limber enough for the oh-so-very-sexy Mr. Edward Masen." Rosalie cooed, wiggling her eyebrows at me. I practically spewed the cheap bubbly onto the white tank top Rose was wearing as she said this.

"Rose!" I tried to sound scolding, but it only came out as a loud snort. She gave me a little shrug and took another sip of her wine.

"No, no, you're right," she said on a more serious note. I could feel my face drop instantly.

Rose never got serious unless it was about men, work, or shopping and usually there was only one out of those three I could help her with. I hated shopping, and even though I wasn't exactly a virgin, I had only had sex twice in my life…with the same guy…like a year and a half ago!

"You sucked at cheerleading; you'll never be flexible enough for that chunk of _delicious_!"

We both burst into laughter at that. Rosalie was right, I had been a terrible cheerleader and I certainly was NOT flexible in any means of the word. We were practically rolling on the floor after a few minutes but managed to get back up right to where we had been before.

Rose was still giggling like a teenager who just got fondled for the first time as she pulled out a tube of cookie dough from the freezer. She turned to me as I flipped open my laptop and motioned to it with her finger. Apparently we were having cookie dough for dinner.

"Yum," I grumbled playfully as I logged into my email account.

"All the major food groups tonight!" I scoffed lovingly towards Rose. She just shrugged and rolled her eyes as she cut the tube in half, grabbed two spoons and handed me my dinner. I laughed down at the still frozen tube that sat beside my laptop as I searched through my missed emails.

There was a couple from Mike asking how the interview went and if anything interesting happened.

…

**To: **Mike Newton

**Subject: **Interview

**Date: **August 12, 2010 5:15pm

**From: **Isabella Swan

Mr. Newton:

All went well at the interview. I thank you kindly for allowing me the opportunity and I shall have the story up by Monday.

Sincerely,

Isabella Swan

Leading Reporter, The New York Newspaper

…

That would be the end of that. I really didn't like having any form of contact with Mr. Newton unless it was absolutely necessary and I guess it sort of was necessary at the moment.

As I continued to look through the others I found one from Jessica, confirming my meetings for Monday, another one from our land lord, making sure we paid rent by next Friday, and one from an address I didn't recognize. As I popped a spoonful of cookie dough into my mouth, I opened the email.

…

**To**: Isabella Swan

**Subject**: Charity Match

**Date**: August 12, 2010 5:04 pm

**From**: Edward Masen

Miss Swan,

I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing you at my match tonight. I do assure you that this event is for a great cause and a few very special guests of mine, including yourself, will be there.

If you would like to bring anyone along with you, please do inform me so I may inform security.

I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Edward A. Masen

Masen Inc., WBA Enterprise

…

Before I could let my shock overwhelm me, I knew I needed to reply.

…

**To**: Edward Mason

**Subject**: Charity Match

**Date**: August 12, 2010 5: 17 pm

**From**: Isabella Swan

Mr. Mason,

Thank you for the extended invitation. If you don't mind, I would like to bring my closest friend, Rosalie Hale.

She is also a big fan of you. I would have like to have brought my father but sadly, he does not reside in New York. I am also looking forward to seeing you fight tonight.

Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Isabella Swan

Leading Reporter, The New York Newspaper

…

Awe is a total understatement of what I was feeling at this very moment. Edward Mason had just sent me a person email from his private email address! I couldn't help my reaction that came next.

"Oh. My. God." I whispered to myself like a boy band crazed teenager.

"Rose!" I squealed, swallowing the last of the cookie dough I had placed in my mouth a few moments ago. Her head snapped up from the newest episode of _Jersey Shore _and shespoke, mouth full of cookie dough.

"Wha?" she sounded annoyed, like I was interrupting something very important.

Oh yeah, _The Situation _and _Snookie _trying to hook up in a hot tub was much more important that the Edward Mason practically telling me to invite my best friend in the whole wide world to come with me to this match! Oh no, she was going to listen to this!

"Edward Mason just emailed me, saying I could bring another person to the match tonight." I couldn't believe how calm my voice sounded as I spoke because I was flipping out on the inside.

I think my inner girly-girl was doing back flips and shaking her bright pink pom-poms in the air in a victory dance like I could never do in high school.

Rosalie shot up faster than a dog that had just been lit up with fireworks, rushing over to look at the evidence herself. She eagerly leaned over my shoulder to gape at the email just as I was doing before looking back at me with her little pleading eyes that made any man swoon. Not that her looks couldn't make a Victoria Secret's model jealous.

"Please Bewwa!" she begged now in her little baby voice, batting her extremely long lashes at me. Her bright blue eyes glowed in the fluorescents above us as she tried to shove me further into her little spell of pouting. I finally sighed in exasperation and rolled my eyes.

"Who else am I going to take?" I finally answered her silent pleas.

"Yay!" Rose squealed and jumped up to hug me so hard I thought I heard a rib crack.

"Thank you Bella! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she sang as she finally released me. Her expression automatically went from happy to worried in about half a second.

"What time does the match start?" Rose gasped and looked back at my computer screen.

"Around eight thirty, why?" I was confused at her sudden outburst of shock.

All we had to do was change into something a little bit fancier. I took another huge bite of the now softening cookie dough as Rosalie gaped at me in horror before smacking the spoon out of my hand.

"Ouch!" I croaked out as I looked down at my now stinging hand. Rose pulled me out of my seat with a strength I had no idea she possessed and began dragging me through our small apartment to the hall restroom.

"We have exactly," she glanced up at the wall clock above the mirror in the restroom and gasped in horror again. "An hour and forty three minutes to get us all glammed up and you looking super _hot-a-licious_ for Mr. Yummy!" Her tone was less horrified as she left me in the bathroom for a moment.

I looked at myself in the mirror while she was gone, assessing the damage the day had done to me. Rose was probably right to be doing this considering the ring of black flakes my mascara had left in its wake and my already faded foundation I had applied this morning.

My hair, which had once been semi-bearable this morning, was now a rats nest from the heat and wind outside. My white button up was now wrinkled and stained with cookie dough that had fallen from my uncoordinated mouth. If I had shown up to an event like that looking like this, I'm sure Mr. Mason would have kicked me out without hesitation.

The people who went to these types of fights were not only heavy rollers, but people who were well known in the Big Apple. Celebrities, actors, singers, models, anyone you could think of would go to these functions and never worry about what to wear, but me, I didn't own a single thing that would be acceptable for this type of event.

As if my magical fairy godmother hear my silent prayers, Rosalie came busting back into the rest room holding up several options for me to choose from. There was a bright red mini dress made out of a flimsy silk looking material that had a neck line that practically went down to the navel, a mossy green gown that went down to the floor, and a black number that had no back but a very tasteful neck-line and a hemline that wasn't too short for me.

"The black one," I picked without hesitation. Rose's face fell slightly but nodded as she handed me the dress and kept the red one for herself. She had probably wanted the black one, but she gave me first pick.

With that out of the way, Rosalie commanded me to wash my face. She was an evil dictator and I didn't want to know what would happen to me if I disobeyed. After my face was cleansed of all impurities, Rose brought out her curling iron. I had always been afraid of that thing, with its 400 heat settings and ceramic barrel that practically burned through your hair every second you held it.

She managed to comb through my hair without pulling too many chunks out, then began the process after applying some sweet smelling crème to my hair. Hopefully a heat protection of some sort.

"What's the look tonight, Rose?" My voice was deadpan.

Rose loved to dress me up, do my hair and make up whenever we went out to clubs or out with friends, even when we went to go grab something to eat! I was like the guinea pig for every new product she got, whether it be make up, hair products, or even shampoos.

"I'm going for," she thought for a moment as she finished off the last of my curls and began pulling my hair up into some sort of messy bun.

"Sexy sophisticated with a touch of I'm ready to get on my knees!" She giggled as I could practically hear her mind washing through the gutter a few more times. I rolled my eyes at her never ending sex jokes when it came to Edward Mason and me and sighed. Could she be anymore childish?

"Nothing is going to happen between us, Rose." I sighed agitatedly as Rose moved onto my make up.

"It's just business" I said looking down at my lap as she applied a very small amount of blush to my face.

"So?" Rose asked, tilting my face up to get a better look at her work, then began my eye makeup.

"So," I closed my eyes tiredly as she ran the little brush over my eyes. "I'm not even…" I let out a frustrated sigh and let the sentence drift off.

"Not even what?" Rose asked in a hard tone. She apparently didn't like the tone of this conversation.

"I'm not even the type of girl he would probably take an interest in." I finally let out. It was the truth. Even Edward Mason himself said it was hard to find the type of girl that was suited or him. He hadn't said it in those many words, but it was close enough. He said women were _intimidated _by him, but I didn't know what there was to be intimidated by. He fought for a living, he wasn't going to fight _you_.

"You don't see yourself very clearly, do you Miss Swan?" Rosalie asked in a low tone.

She wasn't being snooty or funny…her tone was serious. As I opened my eyes (with her permission of course) I saw that her expression was just as serious as her tone. Rosalie turned me from where I had been sitting to show me her work. I couldn't help but gasp in shock at this utterly different person as a whole.

My hair looked as if one of those fake French accented hair dressers who charged way too much for a visit had done my hair and my make up was flawless. She hadn't done much, but everything on my face looked as if I had been practically airbrushed.

"You are beautiful, Bella Swan." Rose beamed down at me lovingly through the mirror.

"And Edward Mason would be the luckiest mother fucker on this planet to have you hanging on his perfectly chiseled arm." She giggled brightly and handed me the dress I had picked out roughly.

"Now," she sighed tiredly and glanced back up at the clock. We still had a good hour, but with the traffic in New York, on a Friday night, it would take us at least an hour by taxi to get there. "Get dressed and we'll be set to go." she offered as I walked out of the restroom.

"I think I have something, but thanks." I nodded and padded my way back to my room in excitement. Rosalie was a professional photographer, so when she got paid, she _really_ got paid. Thus the extensive amount of shoes, clothes, and makeup she possessed. I silently thanked whatever fairy godmother I had on my back as I slid into the beautiful dress. It fit like a glove as I looked into my full length mirror on the back of my closet door.

The neckline didn't show as much as Rosalie's would but it was decent. The hem was the perfect length, resting about an inch above my knee. The only problem with this dress, was that I couldn't exactly wear a bra with it, thanks to the back of the entire dress being punched out.

I contemplated this for a moment but decided it was a _what the hell_ kind of night. I unhooked my bra from behind and slid out of it easily, throwing it into the little hamper I kept beside my closet. I made sure the girls weren't too uncomfortable without any sort of restraint, only to see they actually looked a lot better without the bra.

"You ready, Rose?" I called from my room as I gave myself one last inspection in the mirror.

"Yeah!" she responded back from the restroom. "I'm ready." She was now in the doorway of my bedroom. Her hair was set in wild curls all down her back as the red dress clung to her body perfectly. She looked stunning. She gave me one last inspection and smirked giddily at her handiwork.

"You look great, Bells!" she beamed. I could feel the blood start to rush up to my cheeks as I nodded thanks to her.

"We should get going!" I gasped as I caught a glimpse of the time on my beside table.

Rose followed my glance and nodded, rushing back into the living room. I made sure to grab my clutch and my VIP pass Carlisle and Mr. Mason had given me off the kitchen counter before we left the apartment.

Finding a cab at six o' clock at night in downtown New York was harder than pulling a fresh Crispy Cream doughnut from a starved fat lady. Well, unless you had a total knockout like Rosalie Hale wearing a trashy mini dress that showed way too much leg, wiggling her tits around like it was a strip joint. In other words, the moment Rose stepped out onto the sidewalk, about ten taxi's jumped to service her without hesitation. As we slid into the cab Rose told the drooling cabby where to go as she fixed her dress hem.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to meet _Edward Mason_!" Rose whispered to me gently as the cabby hit the gas and rushed to surpass whatever other car he could in the overwhelming traffic.

"You sound _really_ cheesy." My tone was flat as I noticed the lights of Madison Square Garden come into view. There was a large marquee above the building that read the words I had only ever seen on television screens.

_**Edward Mason **_**vs. **_**Emmet McCarthy **_

**Charity Match**

**One Night Only**

Emmet McCarthy was a great contender. He was a great fighter and barely passed the division of light weight, even though you wouldn't believe he was a lightweight because of his build. Mr. Mason and Mr. McCarthy were both great fighters but I had seen them go against each other before and even though they were both great fighters with each showing their signature moves and great techniques, it would always be obvious who the greater contender was. Edward Mason didn't hold the title for the third greatest lightweight in the world for looking hot without a shirt on. He _was_ pretty hot without a shirt, though, come to think of it.

"OMG!" Rose squealed like a fifteen year old school girl, tugging at my arm.

_Did she really just use OMG in a sentence?_ She was practically rocking the entire cab as she bounced in her seat.

"We're here! I can't believe this! Thank you, Bella!" she was blabbering wildly, going from hugging me really tightly to shoving me away to stare at the marquee and long lines of people waiting to get into the building or buy the probably sold out tickets, with those doe–like eyes of hers.

"Here you are. Twenty–three fifty." The cabby's Russian accent didn't disguise the fact that his tone was utterly deadpan.

Rose threw a twenty and a five over the seat and began shoving at me to get out of the taxi. I did as she willed me to do and soon we were walking past every line there was to the head of security. Rose was strutting her supermodel walk as we finally made our way to the front of the line, the whole line of people cursing and making obscene hand gestures towards us. Noting uncommon to me when it came to New York.

"Passes," the large security guard holding a clipboard stated in a flat tone. Rose looked at me expectantly as I pulled out the black lanyard with the pass attached to it from my clutch and handed it to him. His eyes scanned over it and flipped it around, looking for something I apparently didn't notice. He nodded, handed me my pass back and allowed us entrance, gaining a few more profanities from the line behind us.

"There will be an entrance to your left, ladies. Mr. Cullen should be waiting for you there to show you your seats." The security guard pointed through the glass doors.

Rose squealed in thanks before gripping my hand that held the pass and dragging me with her through the entrance doors. Once I found enough strength to shake her death grip on my arm off, I began to walk beside her as we tried to shove past all the raging fan and screaming girls who adored Edward Mason. They probably didn't even appreciate his sport. They just appreciated those rock hard abs that gleamed with sweat every time he fought.

_It's not like you don't notice! _my inner girly-girl squealed, popping her hips out and wiggling her little eyebrows at me. I didn't deny it, I noticed. Quite the contrary**; **I noticed A LOT! I had even begged Charlie to get every one of Mason's matches in HD just so I could see every gleaming muscle on that man from the age of eighteen.

"Look, there it is!" Rose squawked over the loud clambers of noises surrounding us. I followed Rose's finger to where it was pointing, spotting a large metal door with at least three security guards covering it. Nobody really noticed the door, since it blended in so well with the walls, but I did. Rose began to walk her way through the crowd, not listening to the curses thrown at us and I followed, right on her heels. As we finally got close, I flashed the lanyard to the security guard and smiled my _Cover Girl_ smile. He took notice of the pass before letting us enter through the door without further questioning.

Rose was going ballistic as we entered a concrete hall lined with fluorescents above, giving the long walk way an eerie glow.

"Miss Swan!" Carlisle's familiar voice came from somewhere beside me. Rose gave me a worried glance as she noticed a looming figure begin to approach us. I knew it was Carlisle, though. As he finally came into the light wearing a simple pair of jeans and a black polo that read Edward's name and division on the breast pocket. I could practically feel Rosalie's knees buckle as she caught glimpse of who was coming towards us and I could help the smirk of amusement that crept up my mouth.

"Hello Mr. Cullen." I greeted as well as I held out my hand. Carlisle let out a low chuckle and shook my hand as well.

"It's so great that you were able to make it tonight, Miss Swan. Edward will be very pleased." Carlisle smirked down at me. _Edward would be pleased to see me? Why?_ My inner girl didn't care what his reasons were, for she had slipped back into her cheerleading uniform and was shaking those pink pom-poms again. My inner tomboy just crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes, sensing there was an obvious explanation.

"And who might this lovely creature be?" Carlisle's gaze averted towards Rosalie without hesitation. Rosalie didn't blush like I would have, but merely gaped at the man before us openly. I cleared my throat after a few moments of awkward tension, snapping Rose out of her star struck trance. Carlisle had his long, pale hand already outstretched to Rose, so as soon as she gathered herself back together, fixing her dress and flipping her hair back behind her shoulder, she didn't hesitate to take his hand in acceptance. I wondered if she knew Mr. Cullen was already married.

Apparently not, from the way she was eyeing him. It was sort of disturbing, considering the man was probably twice our age…and _married_.

"Er…Mr. Cullen-"

"Please," he interrupted as Rosalie let go of his hand. "Call me Carlisle. We aren't in an interview anymore, Miss Swan." he grinned down at me warmly.

"Um, alright." I tried not to let the awkward feeling inside of me interfere.

"Carlisle, this is my best friend and roommate, Rosalie Hale." I introduced Rosalie kindly. I didn't want to introduce her as the photographer who thought any man with money in his back pocket was utterly fuckable.

"It's a pleasure, Miss Hale." Carlisle nodded politely before turning back to me.

"If you'll follow me, please." Carlisle offered, spreading one arm out to show the path he had come from. I glanced towards Rosalie through the corner of my eye to see her already readjusting her dress. I just rolled my eyes and smiled up at Carlisle politely before following him. Rosalie stayed by my side as we remained on Carlisle's heels.

The only sound you could hear the entire way towards wherever it was that Carlisle was leading was the sound of Rosalie's and my own heels clicking against the concrete below us, which made my skin start to prickle with excitement. I was only a few feet away from a door now and I prayed to god Edward Mason would be behind that door more than anything.

"Here we are, ladies." Carlisle smiled as he opened the door for Rosalie and me without hesitation.

As we walked into a brightly lit room, my eyes had to adjust for a moment, but when they did…I was in shock. We were in a box seating room. A place where only the boxers and trainers got to remain before a match, if they weren't practicing downstairs in one of the training room in the basement that is.

The first thing that caught my attention was the large glass wall to the north, overlooking not only the perfect square boxing ring but every single seat in the house. This place had to seat _at least_ one hundred thousand people. _At least_. Then there was the huge plasma screen TVs posted on the East and West walls, showing the up close view of the ring. I noticed a large bar of gift baskets and bowls of food, probably for the trainers and Mr. Masen.

The one thing that shocked me the most, though, was the large couch facing the glass wall. On the leather couch was a small girl with black hair braided down her back. She looked to be a few years younger than myself, maybe eighteen or nineteen. She was watching someone below us through the glass wall. Even though I couldn't see her face, I could practically feel the worry emanating right off of her.

_Who is this girl?_ My subconscious finally kicked in, wondering who on earth this girl could be. Only the trainers and family were allowed up here and from what I could tell all the trainers, besides Carlisle, were somewhere training with Edward. That's when it hit me. This had to be someone who either worked with him, a girlfriend, or a family member.

"Alice," Carlisle called towards the small girl from behind Rosalie and me, after closing the door behind us. The small girl tilted her face up to reveal one of the most gorgeous faces I had ever seen in my entire life. Her little heart shaped face was rimmed with a few loose black locks pulled back into the thick black braid that hung down her back. Her full, pink lips were slightly opened as she ran her beautiful and familiar emerald green eyes over me. Emerald green eyes.

Oh my gosh! This was Alice _Mason_, Edward Mason's younger sister.

"Ali." Carlisle said her name with such a fatherly love it made my heart ache in jealousy.

He walked over to place his hand gently on her shoulder before speaking again.

"This is the reporter Edward was talking about." Carlisle gestured towards me, answering the obvious question in her eyes. Her mouth formed into a little 'o' shape and smiled up at me as she stood up politely. She was dressed in a pair of tattered but comfortable looking jeans and a white tee shirt with Edward's name and division – much like Carlisle's shirt – printed on the back in black letters. Her stride towards me was a graceful dance as she held out her hand to greet me politely.

"I've heard so many great things about you, Miss Swan." Alice smiled but I could tell it didn't touch her eyes. The expression in her eyes was obvious: worry.

"Er…really?" I asked, obvious shock flooding my voice.

How did she hear so much about me in only a few hours? Had her brother been talking about me that much? What was he talking about?

_Probably about how much you gushed like a dork after the interview!_ My inner tomboy spat out in disgust. Yes, I had gushed like a total dweeb, but hey, he was basically my special edition, 1950's Superman action figure still in the shiny package.

"Yeah." Alice's voice was still polite but I could sense the anguish in her voice. "My brother is downstairs," she motioned towards one of the monitors showing Edward running through some drills with another trainer in the empty ring. His face was stern and totally focused as sweat poured down his face and body. Even his hair dripped with sweat. He was beautiful, even with a face contorted in concentration.

"But he should be up in a few minutes." she whispered with a little light hitting her eyes. I beamed down at her with as much kindness as I could muster, knowing she was worried about something. My mother always said, just a simple smile could lift a person's day.

She smiled back at me gratefully before letting her eyes roll over Rosalie, in bafflement. Rosalie must've looked like a hooker to her.

"Oh! Alice Masen, this is my oldest and dearest friend, Rosalie Hale." I said snapping rose out of her trance. She had been gawking at this place the entire time we had been here in silence. Rose shook Alice's tiny hand in awe, but stayed polite.

"I'm a huge fan, Miss Mason." Rose gushed now. Alice tilted her head to the side slightly with a little smirk playing on her lips and nodded in thanks before returning back to her seat on the leather sofa to watch Edward on the monitors.

"Huge fan? Of what? It's her brother who is the celebrity here!" I hissed under my breath towards Rosalie while Carlisle offered us a few glasses of champagne. I declined politely while Rose eagerly took it, never taking her eyes off of Alice.

"That girl is one of the biggest icons in fashion right now! She wears everything from Betsy Johnson to Dolce and Gabana! She's been in almost every fashion magazine there is and she is most definitely not one of those trashy little limelight tarts like Paris Hoe-ton or Lindsey Low-Panties." she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

I think I do remember seeing Alice in some magazine a while back but I had never been one to read a fashion magazine. We were going to head for the sofa to sit near Alice and ask if she needed anything, but we were interrupted by a few voices entering the room where Rosalie and I had.

I turned to see Edward Masen walking in, sweat drenching his tee shirt clad chest as he

used a small white towel to dry off his face and neck. He was talking to one of his trainers with a small smile on his face as he walked in. Carlisle was the first to speak to him. I made sure Rosalie was standing by my side, making sure she wouldn't jump on Mr. Masen or start humping his leg like a crazed Chihuahua, and waited.

"Edward," Carlisle walked over to clap one hand over Edward's arm. He whispered something about his warm-ups as I overheard something about Edward needing to keep his chin down. This made Edward beam up at his coach with some emotion I could only describe as loving.

"Edward!" Alice's relieved voice cooed as she shot up and launched herself at her brother. She didn't hesitate to wrap her small arms around her brother, even though he was practically drenched in sweat head to toe. Edward smiled down at his sister affectionately before kissing the top of her head chastely and wrapping a protective arm around her.

"Did you eat anything yet?" he asked in a scolding tone. Alice rolled her eyes up at her brother and changed the subject quickly.

"Your friend is here." Alice claimed quietly and motioned towards me and Rosalie.

Edward's eyes darted towards me without another breath. His gaze as his eyes ran over me was so intent I felt another rush of blood flooding over my cheeks. His eyes hung over every inch of my body and rested on my legs and chest for a second longer than all the other parts of my body, making my already pink cheeks probably turn crimson.

"Mr. Masen." I nodded towards him politely as Rosalie cleared her throat. From my peripheral vision I could see Rose wink at me, but I ignored her as Edward shoved off his sister gently, walking over with that perfect swagger of his. He was like a GQ model on steroids. I think he _was_ actually on the cover of GQ once…hmmm.

My inner girl was licking her bubblegum pink lips, salivating, as soon as she caught a glimpse of this god. I think my inner tomboy was even a little weak in the knees right now. My subconscious was just rolling her eyes and tapping her foot in anticipation.

"You came." Mr. Masen spoke with a light hitting his eyes I hadn't seen earlier today. I chuckled under my breath and smirked up at this Adonis that stood right before me.

"I wouldn't miss a fight like this for the world." I said extending my hand towards him.

He looked down at my in bewilderment for a moment, but took it. His hand was dry and cool even though I'm sure his body was the exact opposite. His gaze had never strayed from me, but I knew the interest was only stemmed from liking in the column I would be writing on him. _Or he could just think you're really hot! _the little vixen in pink cooed.

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Edward beamed.


	5. Chapter 5: Meetin' Momma!

**Something Worth Fighting For  
Chapter 5: Meetin' Momma  
****Isabella Swan**

* * *

**Hey guys, there have been some problems with FFN lately so if you guys don't see me updating for a while you can go to my page. There is a link on my profile to my story.**

**Thanks for the patience! the next update is somewhere between two and three weeks!(:**

**I love you guys! reviews are great(:**

* * *

We only had a few minutes with Edward before he had to go back downstairs to prepare for the match, but when he left Carlisle agreed he would take us to our real seats downstairs. I couldn't believe they had actually gotten us the seats right in front of the ring! If Edward knocked out Mr. McCarthy and he fell over the rail, Rosalie and I would be the first to get hit. That's how awesome the seats were.

Charlie would probably be seeing me on TV tonight and I would have probably have about a million messages when I got home later.

"No recorder today, Miss Swan?" Edward asked, snapping me out of my own thoughts, with a smug little smirk on his gorgeous face. I looked up to see him chugging down a huge bottle of water as he tried to blot away sweat that still ran down his face. I could feel the blush on my face return and an embarrassed grin also sneaking up onto my face as well. He was so beautiful but he was a cocky son of a bitch, too. I guess it's all apart of his charm.

"No," I replied, sighing dramatically with a little shrug of my shoulders.

"Just Rosalie." I motioned towards Rose who was now sitting with Alice Mason – purposefully leaving Edward and I alone to speak – discussing stupid things like shopping and shoes. Not my thing at all.

Boxing, now that was what you could talk to me all night about.

Edward chuckled as he caught a glimpse of his sister cooing in delight and making dramatic gestures about designers just giving her stuff; to them it was exciting. To me, it was torture. As I watched Edward's face, though, I noticed how his eyes softened almost instantly when it came to his sister. I had noticed how Alice had clung to him like a monkey in heat as well. They were so protective and worried for each other all the time. I couldn't understand if it was normal to have such a strong relationship like that with a sibling, not only because I was an only child, but because I had never seen my friends act like that with their siblings.

"Do you and your sister spend a lot of time together?" I asked Edward in a very gentle tone. I didn't know if that topic was up for discussion and I had only known him for a few hours. I only knew the outer things about Mr. Mason as well. I didn't know what his personal life was like and I didn't know if Edward trusted me, a reporter, enough to tell me about it, especially when he had tried so hard his entire career to keep his and Alice's life semi-normal. I would never ask him a question like this and instantly go running to write something down in the column I was writing but I did want to know Mr. Mason a bit more personally if we were going to become friends. If that's what this is.

Edward turned a bit more towards me as I tilted my face up slightly to look into those beautiful and magnetic eyes of his. Those eyes scanned my face before answering, searching for any hint that I would betray him. I'm sure he'd had enough drama and scumbags fucking him over all the time and I made a silent promise to him through those emerald orbs that I wouldn't be one of those scum.

I would be a friend, someone who wasn't family that he could come to. It was too soon to tell him something like that but I was very empathetic toward Mr. Mason, particularly. I knew his whole past, or at least a good deal of it, and I could relate.

His parents weren't saints. They had flaws. But what parent didn't? Edward started out fighting not just because he loved it, and he did love it, but because he had to help put food on the table as well. And the business of boxing never went down. Unless you break your hands.

Edward's gaze grew soft against as he looked down at me before furrowing his brow and glancing down at his now empty water bottle.

"Yeah," he glanced towards his laughing sister with a gentle smile before looking back at me. "Me and Alice have always been close. My parents," as he uttered those last two words his eyes grew darker, lips pursing into a white line as he crushed his water bottle and chunking it towards a near by trashcan gracefully.

"They couldn't exactly be with us every day, because they worked all the time back in Jersey." His accent popped out a little bit more as he mentioned his hometown. It was adorable.

"So they really didn't know us as people. They thought we would always just be those little five year olds playing in the streets all day. But Alice and I were always very tight because we knew each other better than anyone else. That's why she hates my job and worries so much." That explained why she was so clingy on him when he came in.

"Anyways, because of that bond we shared, my parents grew…jealous once they stopped working. They didn't understand how their children could love them, yes, but still be so distant." His eyes were distant now, staring towards Alice but not really seeing her.

"So," he sighed and looked back at me, out of his trance. "Alice came to live with me when I moved out, not only because the tension between her and my parents was too great for her, but because she felt safer with me. It put a lot of strain on all of us, and I didn't need that stress on top of everything else.

"I bought them a house on the better part of Jersey and now they come to see every match. At least my mother does." Edward rolled his eyes at this, not really showing that he appreciated his mother's presence.

I was taken aback by this, though. If his mother came to watch all of his matches, why wasn't she up here? I must've been looking around, making it apparent who I was searching for even though I had no idea what she looked like, because I heard a low chuckle from beside me.

My head snapped up to see Edward shaking his head, making his low hanging strands of hair sweep gently across his face. I wanted so badly to run my hands through that head of hair, but I restrained myself, feeling my hand twitch gently.

"My mother doesn't like to come up here." Edward answered my unspoken question flatly. "She comes in with the rest of the crowd. She'll be sitting with Alice…hopefully." There was a pinch of bitterness in his tone along with…resentment.

"Oh," I muttered out stupidly, but regained my landing. "Well that should be nice. If

your mother is anything like you, I'm sure we will get along just fine." I reassured him kindly. He shot me a sideways glance, his body tensing up even further at my words. That's not a good side.

"My mother is just…" he hesitated as he tried to search for the words.

"A bit strange." He said the words with such shame and disgust it made my heart take a little leap into my stomach. I felt sympathy for this woman without even meeting her yet, without knowing anything of her. To have your own son talk about you like that…it must sting.

"Edward." Carlisle's voice caused the ineptness that had been growing between Edward and I ever since the mention of his mother dissipate in a millisecond without any further questions.

Edward glanced up at his mentor within a beat, locking eyes with Carlisle's serious orbs. There was something in that glance between the two that made the entire feel of the room change. It was as if the energy between Edward and Carlisle had shifted with one simple look. I tried to understand what their hold on each other was about…what the look in their eyes meant. That's when I understood.

"It's time, Edward." Carlisle's tone was low and husky, letting the seriousness in his eyes burn even deeper through all of us in the room.

As I glanced towards the girls for a split second I noticed Alice's bright smile had fallen back into a worried grimace while Rose placed an attempting soothing hand on Alice's shoulder. I understood why Alice was so clingy to Edward now. I understood why she was so worried all of the time.

Alice loved her brother so much because Edward played every roll there was to play in Alice's life. He played her mother, her father, her brother, her best friend, her mentor…everything she could ever need emotionally and materialistically he gave her because he was the only one that could give it to her.

I had never had to go without my mother or my dad. I had never had to deal with practically being raised and supported by someone who probably needed just as much support and love as anyone else. Tried to think for a moment what my life would had been like without my parents being with me all the time but quickly banished the thought. I couldn't deal with even the thought of that. It was way too painful and for the Masons to live like that…it must be a million times worse.

Edward snapped me out of my train of thought, nodding his head and walking past me towards his shaking sister now. Alice had risen with tears already brimming her emerald, doe-like eyes. Edward didn't waste a moment, pulling his small–framed sister into his arms and telling her things none of us could hear. It wasn't meant for us to hear. Alice sniffled back any fears and worries she had at he moment as her brother pulled away to beam down at her, but even from here…I could see the light in his face didn't touch his eyes.

"Take care of Miss Swan and Miss Hale while I'm working, alright?" Edward chuckled, kissing his sister's head chastely before looking up at me, giving me a small wink. I could feel the blush rising up my neck and cheeks as I looked down at my shoes.

This was a time for his sister and himself. I shouldn't be here to intrude.

I looked over my shoulder to see Rosalie giving Alice the most sympathetic look she had ever given. Something in the short conversation they had together made Rosalie turn to mush for Alice Masen; it was very clear.

"Edward." Carlisle's tone was now impatient as he began to make a gesture towards his watch, tapping it with his long index finger. Edward rolled his eyes before giving his sister one last tight squeeze and then walked out with Carlisle, waving to me over his shoulder. Oh God, he's so gorgeous.

_He's just had this really adorable moment with his sister, who-by the way-is practically a nervous wreck right now, and all you can look and think about is how fuckable this man is? _My subconscious scoffed at me in repulse.

My inner tomboy and girly-girl were both swooned over, hand fanning themselves, from being dazzled so much by this Adonis that seemed to take a bit of an interest in my work.

_And you! _My inner girl was really starting to sound like Rosalie. Hmmm…

"Well you heard the man!" Alice spoke up with a strained but chipper voice. My head snapped back from over my shoulder to see Alice walking towards me now, a gentle and understanding smile plastered over her beautiful little lips. She looked a lot like Edward in many ways, I observed. With the flawless, pale skin, the green eyes, the way their noses were shaped, and perfect cheek bones they were definitely siblings.

Yes, they were both distinctly different but if you looked close enough you could see the similarities.

_Or memorized one of the two's faces you have! _My subconscious scolded.

Creepy, I know. You could see the familiarities between the two.

"Come, Bella. Let me take you to your seat." Alice slid her small, cool hand in mine without even bothering with permission, not that she needed any, and motioned for Rosalie to follow.

"You too, Rosie." Alice beamed.

_Rosie? _When did these two become so…informal?

We were all following Alice towards our seats, now. Cameras from paparazzi didn't faze Alice one bit as we found our way to our seats by some miracle. The camera flashes had practically blinded me by now, making my vision more blurry than ever and probably making my already clumsy self about a billion times clumsier.

As we took our seats, which were so close I could practically smells the sweat that had been dropped onto the ring earlier, I noticed Alice speaking tensely to a woman beside her. Alice was sitting at the far right, Rosalie sitting between us, so I hadn't noticed the woman as we sat down.

_Probably another contribution from the stupid flashing cameras!_

The woman looked young, but the look in her hazel eyes told a different story. She was years beyond her age.

In those gorgeous green-brown eyes I could see the exhaustion, the awe…the pride she held over this situation. I probably wouldn't have thought anything of her if it weren't for her hair. Her hair was the exact color of Edward's; a copper, auburn color with flecks of gold here and there.

This was Mrs. Mason. Edward and Alice's mother.

"And who may these lovely ladies be?" Her tone was sarcastic, almost…bitter as she spoke towards Alice, her hostile glower shifting from Rosalie and me, down towards her daughter.

"Mother," Alice spat out the word as if it burned her tongue to say it. "This is the reporter that is doing the piece on Edward and his career, Miss Isabella Swan." She was polite but I could easily see Alice's discomfort around her own mother.

Mrs. Mason's glower instantly morphed into an utterly different look. Her lips curled back into a skin-raising grin and her eyes glowed as she looked at me the way a cartoon villain eyed an open bank. Opportunity glimmered in her eyes, as if knowing I were the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

"Why didn't you say so, Ali!" Mrs. Mason cooed with that repugnant smirk still plastered on her full lips, and held out a boney and perfectly manicure hand out towards me. "I'm so sorry for my daughter's rude behavior." She glared down at Alice fiercely, making her daughter flinch back against Rosalie so hard _I_ could feel it.

"What paper do you work for, Isabella?" Mrs. Mason asked in her sickly sweet voice that made my stomach churn almost instantly.

She was so skinny, I realized. Her face would probably have been quite beautiful if her cheeks weren't so hollow, and the deep purple bags that hung under her unnerving glance. Her figure was about three times smaller than Alice's tiny frame, making the rather large looking white tee shirt she wore that mirrored Alice's look like tent hanging over her bony body. I even noticed her eyes were slightly bloodshot and her hands shook gently…was she sick? Is that why Edward was uncomfortable about talking about her?

"Miss Swan?" Mrs. Mason's tone was a bit harsh as she brought me back to the surface from the ocean my thoughts had dragged me into. As I looked back up into Mrs. Mason's eyes I saw her glare had come back with much more ferocity. Had she seen me staring at her eerie body? I cleared my throat but stumbled again.

"Err…excuse me?" I whispered out quietly. The entire stadium was now filled with roaring fans, snapping paparazzi everywhere, screaming girls…and men. I was surprised she even heard me. Rosalie was giving me a baffled look as Alice's glance was filled with a thousand apologies. She didn't have any part in her mother being such a bitch, so I didn't understand why she would need to be apologizing.

"Where. Do. You. Work…dear." Mrs. Mason's spoke as if I was utterly incompetent and her glare had grown hard and cold as ice. I didn't flinch, though.

I had fought through pig maniacs in office's who stared at my ass all day – not to mention the pinching! – and then there was the occasional office associate that seemed to hate me for some odd reason or the other. I was used to having to put up with people like Mrs. Mason all the time, but I knew exactly how to act.

"I work for The New York Newspaper, Mrs. Mason." I said clearly now, giving her my sweetest smile that I could muster without it being distinctly bogus. She knew, nevertheless. This woman had lived in Jersey. My own father could see straight through me because of the eyes Jersey puts on a person and I was sure this ghost of a woman could see straight through me as well. She went along with it, though.

"Lovely," she purred, leaning in to give me her smug little smirk. "I wonder…" she began, but was interrupted by a loud voice above all of us.

"Ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank you all to coming to our charity event tonight, I would like to announce that we have made over 2.4 million dollars for our children's Charity, _Gloves Together_, tonight. On behalf of Mr. Masen and Mr. McCarthy," an eruption of loud shrills from all around us roared at the mere mention of the fighter's names.

"I would like to thank you all for your donations, contributions and support." An elderly man wearing a very professional looking suit announced over one of those hanging microphones that dropped from the ceiling as he stood in the middle of the square ring. I had never seen one other than on television…I probably looked so idiotic gawking at a stupid _microphone_.

As soon as the white haired man hobbled off the ring, down the small steps and back to the table with the other announcers, the music began, making my heart speed up and then slow to beat with the rhythm. It was the same song almost every fighter used for every match but it suited the area we were in at the moment.

The lights were shut off as a single light was focused on a familiar figure you could only recognize as Emmet McCarthy. He was unmistakable on any means. His muscles bulged through his black TKO zip up jacket. His small posse followed faithfully behind him as he threw a few punches, his entire body showing up on the screens above our heads. His clear blue eyes showed no fear, but if I knew any better, he was terrified inside. He had fought Edward before, yes, but he was knocked out within two rounds. He was a rookie back then, though. They both were.

He glided up the few steps leading onto the white, lifted floor of the boxing ring as the music continued above us and shone on another figure from our side now.

Edward's body was…impeccable, even behind his dark grey Everlast hoodie and matching black shorts that read his name on the front of the waist band. He didn't throw gloating punches or do any fancy footwork as McCarthy had. He didn't need to. Every girl, woman…and even a few males started to scream at an ear-shattering level.

Edward's gaze wasn't focused on anyone…or anything besides that ring. He wasn't even staring at McCarthy. His cold glare was focused on that ring. His swagger was so graceful it almost seemed as if he floated , his entire team behind him silently. They all knew what they were here to do and they were going to do it. No showing off was needed, no gloating or bragging. They came to win and that's what they were here to do…even _if_ it was a charity match.

As Edward and his team finally made it up to the ring, Edward walked over to McCarthy fluidly, meeting him face to face, only a couple of inches away from each other, now. Their gaze on each other was fascinating. I couldn't look away.

"That McCarthy is…gorgeous!" Rosalie's whisper was just enough to pull me out of my fascination. I looked towards Rosalie's leaning body as she gawked hungrily towards Emmet McCarthy. I think she even licked her lips a couple of times after they had announced both fighters names, ranks and dismissed them to their corners. As they both took off their sweatshirts I was focusing on Edward's glimmering body…he already had a slight sheen of sweat covering his seemingly unblemished skin.

I couldn't help the reaction that was going on down south as I crossed my legs…but what woman wouldn't drop to her knees if this man willed her to? His face was so serious as he spoke to his Chief Second, who was Carlisle. His Cut-Man already had Edward's gloves taped onto Edward's wrists as Carlisle spoke with such determination in his eyes that it even made me want to jump up and throw a few punches. It wouldn't happen though.

Edward just nodded obediently as Carlisle clapped his hand onto Edward's bruiting shoulder as another sound came into play with our surroundings: the first round bell.

My glance shifted from Edward back to Rosalie who was practically drooling at the sight of Emmet McCarthy's body exposed and half naked. I rolled my eyes at her, knowing it would probably be just another fling if she even got the chance to speak to this guy, and shifted my stare again, to see Alice's worried expression go from anxious to terrified as soon as her brother walked up to the center of the ring to begin his round.

When I looked at Mrs. Mason's expression, though, I saw a look in her eyes I didn't expect to see from a woman such as herself. If you could call her a woman.

The look in her eyes wasn't fright for her son, or determination like Carlisle's. No, her eyes held hunger. Not the hunger to win like Edward's eyes held. Her hunger was the type of hunger a whore held in her eyes. The hunger for what she sold herself for. The hunger for money.

It was true, if Edward won this match he would be heartily compensated even though it was a charity match, but the nerve of this woman having a look of expectation…from her own son! It was disgusting, even to me.

I looked back at the ring, knowing if I looked at her any longer my body would react in one of either two ways: stand up and rip the bitch's hair out – which probably wouldn't go down too well with Edward and Alice. Or become sick…disgusted by the fact that a mother was looking towards her child for support.

The match was about to begin.

Edward was moving in a perfect dance with McCarthy around the entire ring. Their eyes never dismissed one another's as Emmet through the first punch, missing Edward completely as Edward moved gracefully away from the quick jab.

That was it, I was hooked.

Nothing-not even the clicks and flashes of the paparazzi behind us could break me from my fascination with this fight. I had never seen a real fight up close and I wasn't about to waste it.

Edward lunged forward with the grace and speed of a lethal whip, leaving his mark on McCarthy right on his jaw, sending his competitor to stumble back slightly, but regaining his stance after a momentary lapse. Emmet shook it off and began to bounce, something he did when he was nervous. I had seen him fight enough to know his traits. Edward was smirking smugly from what I could see, knowing this was going to be as easy as stealing candy from a baby. He was cocky for too long, giving Emmet the opportunity he had been waiting for.

The blow he inflicted to Edward's cheek was a cheap shot, making most of the crowd boo. Alice and I rose to our feet in an instant.

"Cover your face, stupid!"

"Keep your chin down!"

Alice and I overlapped in our angered shrills towards Edward. Alice's angered gaze shot towards me without hesitation. We held each other's glances for a long moment, knowing Edward had made a really stupid move and then…just laughed together as we sat back down to watch the rest of the match.

…...

Edward won the bout. No surprise there.

Emmet McCarthy came out of the fight pretty banged up, but he took it like a champ and walked away with a bloody smile on his face.

Alice told me McCarthy didn't understand what it meant to keep your chin down and with Edward's perfect swings, McCarthy never stood a chance.

Edward had no problem taking him down on the third round, not even making it to the fourth and final.

It was the perfect last punch.

Emmet had been staggering and swaying for the past two rounds, but came up like his life depended on fighting back as hard as he could. Edward simply caught the right moment where Emmet was swaying a bit too hard and let his chin pop up. All it took was that one moment and Edward's fist made contact with Emmet's face, sending Emmet spiraling to the floor, unconscious.

At the moment, Emmet's face was covered with Vaseline as a bright purple shiner began to arise on his left eye socket and discolor the skin. There were several large gashes on either sides of his face and jaw, you could still see his perfect Colgate smile through all the blood and pain. Rosalie was still swooning over him.

The black and white stripped referee had both men standing beside him. He held them by the wrists as they both panted, heavy sweat pouring from their bodies. Edward was beaming down at Alice without a single scrape or bruise on his perfect body.

Carlisle stood beside his prodigy with a grin from ear to ear. The pride of a father was all that could be seen in his eyes.

"And the winner is…" the referee began from the hanging microphone. The entire crowd went silent as we waited.

"Edward Cullen!"

Alice was on her feet, screaming with bliss filling her lungs and spewing out loudly with the rest of the crowd.

Rosalie looked at McCarthy with pained eyes, finally recognizing what had been done to his face.

Mrs. Mason was the only one who could make such a joyous occasion suddenly make my stomach flop over in disgust. Her face was alight in hunger…in such happiness for what she knew what was coming her way.

This woman wasn't just off. She was down for the count.

"He did it!" Alice squealed joyfully as I noticed the tears brimming her eyes. She beamed up at her sweat coated brother and cheered along with the roaring crowd around us.

Yes, Edward Mason did it and for this one moment, with Edward covered in sweat and sincerely smiling down at all of us…everything was perfect.

…...

**Boxing terms: **

**Chief Second-The person designated by the fighter to provide advice and assistance during the bout, usually the trainer.**

**Cut Man- person who makes sure the boxer isn't banged up too badly. **

**Bout- a short match. Like a scrimmage.**


	6. Chapter 6: All Shots Aren't Painful

**Something Worth Fighting For**

**Chapter 6. All Shots Aren't Always Painful**

**Isabella Swan**

After the fight, the paparazzi swarmed to Alice like a horde of frenzied bees to honey. At some point Alice glanced up from her seat and sighed in exasperation, deciding we would need at least six or seven security guards to help all of us, including her immensely emaciated looking mother, through the titanic crowd of cameras flashing and reporters screaming questions, people lurching at us here and there. It was scary, yes, but Alice held her own like the perfect socialite would. She never let her exterior break, forming a steady and controlled smile on her face but never letting it reach her eyes that held nothing but total concentration.

We were surrounded by six large men in black polo's that matched Carlisle's to the T and dark slacks. They were trying their hardest to shove our little huddle; Alice, of course, leading the way out of the way of flashing camera's screaming fans and above all any crazed fan that may go ape shit and want to come after Alice or Mrs. Masen. It was a terrifying thought and I couldn't understand how Alice could do this almost every week; sometimes every day.

I was finally seeing a little glance at what it was like to be such a huge star in the eyes of everyone else. Everyone wanted a piece of not only Edward, but his family as well. They wanted to know who Rosalie and I were, badgering Alice with crude remarks and questions that could make a rhino blush. My entire body was probably the color of blood by now and we weren't even half way through the crowd yet.

Alice was so young, still a teenager practically! How a person so young handle the pressures of everything this world had to come with is something I couldn't comprehend and probably wouldn't ever be able to.

Then again, Alice was raised by her brother. A star himself, practically his whole life. Living with someone like that your entire life probably meant you were surrounded by this everyday. A normal thing for them I presume.

I'm sure there were pressures and I would never be able to handle it if it were me but Alice was still a kid. Didn't she deserve as normal of a life as possible? Or was this normal to her and my world the alien planet? Voices above snapped me out of my racing thoughts.

"We need to get through faster. This crowd is way worse than last time." one of the guards to my left mentioned to his bulging buddy that was on Rosalie's left behind me. Why was the crowd so hard to get through tonight?

I placed a small glance over my shoulder, expecting to see Rosalie probably glowing from all the attention she was receiving, but her face showed that she was feeling quite the opposite of what I though she would.

Her lips were pressed into a tight line, her eyes darting every which way, not settling her glance anywhere specific. Her brow furrowed in fear as another one of the vicious pap tried to shove a microphone through a body guard's arm to question her. The guard just shoved the nosey pap off easily, flinging him back against another crowd of roaring clicks and shrieks beyond the security guard's back and kept on shoving us through without even a glare down at Rose. I could feel the hard frown begin to plaster on my face. How could he treat her so coldly? Yes, he did his job, but I'm sure if it were Alice he would have at least asked if she was alright. I grimaced as I shot a hand out to grab Rosalie's for a moment, making her frantic eyes shoot up to hold mine for a long moment.

I didn't ask if she was alright because I knew she wasn't. We had been best friends for the past few years and we knew each other better than sisters could ever dream of.

I gripped her hand a bit tighter and easily pulled her in front of me without hesitation, making her stumble slightly but easily regaining her perfect posture. I was in the back, now. Making sure Rosalie wouldn't be badgered anymore. As I reassured her with a gentle pat on her back, I instantly witnessed her tense and ridged body relax before me.

"We're here." Alice's voice called breathlessly from a few feet in front of me.

I looked up to see her gesturing beyond the dark clad guards before her, but dismissed it, knowing I wouldn't be able to see beyond these brutes or the lurking crowd surrounding us. It wasn't possible in any sense of the word.

The guards stopped in the middle of a raging crowd temporarily, but before I knew what was going on, the guards behind me were practically shoving me into the darkened hallway Rosalie and I had come through earlier and seemed to bolt or lock the heavy metal door behind us all.

Rosalie was panting, while Alice gave her mother a cold glance. The woman was going on and on about not getting enough time to speak with the paparazzi, how she could gain a few thousand from giving them even the slightest photo. Alice ignored her mother though, shifting her gaze back towards Rosalie and me with turmoil brimming her eyes for us. She understood we were first timers to all of us and thankfully she took pity on us, giving us a few minutes to catch our breaths before even considering moving forward.

"I'm so sorry." Alice apologized as her gaze ran over a now stabilized Rose.

"It never gets this bad," she explained. "But I guess since the two of you are here…" she let the rest of the conversation drop. Her eyes were now steadily placed back on her mother. Mrs. Mason glared at me with a stare so cold, it made shivers run up my spine.

I didn't understand. What did Rosalie and I have to do with causing such an uproar? I had only known Edward Masen for a few hours and they already wanted to know which apartment complex I lived in? It was quite the bafflement.

"You are Edward's new, shiny toy," Mrs. Masen proceeded to finish off what her daughter was trying to put lightly I guess. She had seen the look of complete confusion on my face, taking it for stupidity I presume, and had taken things into her own bony hands.

"Shiny toy?" I couldn't help the question from bubbling out of my lips. I sounded like a lost child, not knowing what was happening around me. I felt like one too.

Mrs. Masen scoffed loudly as her eyes rolled dramatically around in her head.

"They think you are _with_ my son, you insolent girl." she hissed.

"Mother!" Alice scolded in disbelief at her mother's own harsh words. Mrs. Masen ignored her daughter, not even bothering to take her cold, glowering eyes off of me.

"It is no surprise, anyways." she cackled. She rolled her eyes, a dismissive wave of her hand towards my body as if my shape had anything to do with what had just gone on.

I looked down at the fitted dress that clung to my curves perfectly before feeling a wave of self-consciousness run over me. I could feel my arms begin to wrap around myself as Mrs. Masen kept her blows coming right at her target: Me.

"The way you both dress shows that you both have no class, obviously." she grimaced, the stomach churning grin of hers rising back onto those grim lips of hers. Alice just gaped at her mother, stunned and unable to move.

"It's really a shame my son doesn't have better taste in women." The sigh that came from her lips sounded like a pouting child and quite frankly, I was beginning to think she _was_ a spoiled child underneath that elderly hag exterior.

"But I'm sure you will be able to," her eyes, which glowed with joy from my humiliation. "_Take care _of his needs."

"Mother!" Alice piped up again, this time her voice going shrill and up at least two octaves. The body guards had dispersed a while ago, not really caring whether or not we could find our way back to the loft. For this I was grateful.

"Mary Alice Masen." Mrs. Masen whipped her head around to glower down at her already cowering daughter without any sign of mercy ever touching her eyes.

Alice was just a child. How could she treat an innocent teenager the way she just did. The fear in Alice's eyes showed it all. This was how Edward and Alice were raised.

"You can't talk to my friend like that!" Rosalie had been trying to breathe the entire time Mrs. Masen had been throwing her punches at me, but now the cat claws were out.

Rosalie's hand gripped my shoulder reassuringly as I felt the heat of my face double, probably making my face match the color of her semi-there dress.

"And why is that?" Mrs. Masen quirked up a mocking eyebrow as she gracefully reached into her coat to pull out a cigarette and a lighter. She placed the drag to her lips with ease and let out a steady puff of smoke.

"You are just the same Miss Hale. You both look like common tarts." she chuckled with a shrug of her protruding shoulders. Alice simply stood in shock and fear.

"But be rest assured, girls. My son won't be giving you anything besides a great bedding." she cackled.

This woman made absolutely no sense. She had totally gone from kissing my ass for money and now she wanted to shoot me down to the size of my pinky finger. I was practically spinning in confusion.

_There is something seriously wrong with this woman… _my subconscious whispered as she leaned in to scan the scene playing before us at the moment.

I wanted to nod in appreciation that I wasn't the only one noticing something was terribly wrong here, but then again…what if I was just being overly sensitive?

How could a mother talk about her own son in a manner such as her own? It was not only crude but rather disturbing. My glance shifted from the concrete floor, to the florescent lights above before finally landing on a disbelieving Alice. Alice, who was practically fumbling over herself to find words in Rose and my defense, was trying to maintain her perfect exterior…with absolutely no avail. Rosalie was like cat ready to pounce and I wasn't sure if I was willing to stop her.

"Why you-"

Rosalie's shrill rant that she was about to release on Mrs. Mason was cut short by yet another familiar and angered voice interjecting.

"What is going on here?"

All heads shot up to where the voice had come from only to be met by the furious eyes of none other than, Edward Mason.

Edward's face was contorted in disbelief as he scanned his mother. The look in his eyes told me it had been a while since he had seen his own mother…he was repulsed by her. It was obvious. Mrs. Mason could only flinch away like the coward she is as soon as her son's eyes came into contact with hers. Edward closed his eyes for an instant, balling his hands into tight fists, as he tried to calm himself it seemed. Did all boxers have such anger issues?

Mrs. Mason dropped her cigarette to the floor in an instant, squashing out the low glow of the tip with her too-high heels. Her voice was hoarse and panicked as she spoke up.

"Edward I was just-"

"Miss Swan," Edward's eyes were on me now as he cut his mother off.

He couldn't handle even looking at his mother anymore. I'm sure I looked the size of a pea pod at the moment. Because I sure as hell felt it. His wrathful gaze made me feel about ten times smaller than I already was, his nostril flaring and emerald eyes glowing with such resentment, I didn't feel it was appropriate to even speak to him at the moment or even be in his presence. Even Alice maintained her distance from her beloved brother. That shocked me the most.

Alice was so attached to her brother and yet with the air around us practically being filled with the tension and fury emanating off this man, she knew to stay as far away as she could.

Was he like this often? Had he ever gotten angry at Alice like he was with his mother right now? So many questions ran through my head as Edward spoke through a clenched jaw.

"I would like to apologize on behalf of my _disrespectful_ mother." His voice was huskier than I had ever heard it. He spat out the last word as if acid had been poured onto his tongue.

You could hear the sound of Mrs. Mason's jaw hitting the floor as her son apologized for her. It was evident that she was in shock of being treated like a child by her own son, but she acted more like a child than any five year old I have ever met.

"Edward-" Mrs. Mason began to rebuke.

Edward's sharp gaze cut her off without any form of mercy lining his eyes. He wasn't going to put up with her erratic demeanor tonight. Mrs. Mason didn't hesitate to shut her mouth, but grimaced towards me before pursing her lips into a hard line and folding her hands over each other.

I couldn't help but flinch at the harsh apology. Edward stood there, though, waiting for me to reply. I could practically feel Rosalie's anticipation at what was going to happen between Mrs. Mason and her son and to be perfectly honest, I was waiting to see what Edward would say to this leech as well as trying to find my mouth to respond to his apology for his mother's disturbing behavior.

"Oh," I finally managed to breathe out as I held Edward's hard gaze with my own.

"It's alright, Mr. Mason. She's just…" I scanned my eyes over this pathetic excuse of a woman before returning my glance to Edward's. I didn't like his mother-I would like to know who does-but I hoped to make the blow of her son's fury a little lighter with what I was about to say.

"She is just trying to protect you." I spoke without hesitation and feigned sincerity.

I knew I was spewing nothing but lies from my mouth, but even this woman deserved a second chance. I really enjoyed the company of her son and maybe if I did this for her she would lighten up on me.

Edward was taken aback by this, making his eyes turn from glowing with fury to confused and almost…dazed by my statement. He stared at me for a long moment. He was trying to understand the meaning of my words as if he couldn't comprehend the sentence. Had she ever taken care of her own children?

No matter how cruel this woman was to me, I would try to make Edward's apparent rage a little less to burden on her. If it had been towards Rosalie, though, I would have easily let him throw everything he had at her. But for now I would let the pity I held in my heart for this woman shine through…just for today.

As Edward tried to gather himself back together I allowed myself a quick scan over Mrs. Mason. She was scowling at me as if she didn't require any form of my pity. This woman actually had the nerve to take my kindness as a form of disrespect. I did not respect Mrs. Mason one bit, but I did respect Edward.

I would treat her with kindness and patience as I would my own mother. It isn't fair that Edward had to put up with this woman his entire life and it was especially unfair to Alice who was still so young. It seemed that when it came to her mother, she came crumbling down without another breath.

"Is everything alright here?" Carlisle's comforting but terse voice appeared from behind us all.

It was still dark from where Mr. Cullen and Edward stood so I could only make out a few things but from what I could tell Mr. Cullen didn't seem to care for the presence of

Edward's mother any more than the rest of us.

Mrs. Mason lifted her chin, her lips still formed up into her eerie sneer, as if challenging Carlisle with her mischievous eyes. Carlisle examined the scene intently as Mrs. Mason wrapped her arms around herself securely, still holding herself as if she ruled everything around us. Rosalie was practically ready to lurch as she noticed Mrs. Mason's cocky demeanor, but I held my grip on her forearm firm, never letting it waiver for the fear of her angering Edward even further.

"Mrs. Mason," Carlisle's voice was curt as he spoke to her, his eyes sharp…mirroring Edward's own expression. "I think it's time for you to leave." Carlisle's statement was one of finality. No one was to object. Mrs. Mason seemed to be the type to always question authority, though.

"Carlisle, I have some things to discuss with my son-"

"I will send you what you need." Edward interjected his mother's quivering voice. His voice was practically lined with venom and resentment towards his own mother. His gaze reminded me that of a lethal snake waiting for its prey to make one wrong move. It made everyone in the room flinch back in shock…even Mrs. Mason.

"No more. No less." Edward hissed sharply. I didn't exactly understand his statement, but

Mrs. Mason apparently heard it loud and clear.

Her eyes wide, mouth slightly age with shock. Their gazes were locked on one another's in a silent battle for a long moment before one finally gave in to defeat. Of course, Edward won. He never lost. Mrs. Mason shifted her weight uncomfortably before clearing her throat and flinging her thin, greasy hair over her bony shoulder. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke.

"I guess that is it then," she whispered shortly. Her face was turning as red as mine had been only a few moments ago.

"Good fight, Edward." She nodded towards her son in acknowledgement. Edward scoffed lowly towards her praise.

"I will see you in a few weeks." her voice was filled with defeat but her eyes had softened as she said her goodbyes to her son.

"Alice." she nodded towards her daughter quickly before being led by Carlisle through what was apparently another exit way. We all watched until she was finally gone and within seconds the tension in the air had completely vanished. It was as if we could all take a huge breath of relief.

As I looked back towards Edward I noticed his eyes were attached to me…a longing look lacing his gaze. As our eyes finally locked on each others there was nothing else that mattered. It didn't matter what his mother had said about me, because I knew it wasn't true. It didn't matter that the anger that brimmed his eyes so furiously just a few moments ago had scared me out of my whits. He was back to the Edward I had first met and that was all that mattered.

_WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? _my subconscious scolded furiously for my teenage mind set.

Yes, I was thinking like a fourteen year old who had a serious case of puppy love.

"You okay, Bells?" Rose's concerned voice finally pulled me away from Edward's gaze and my own thoughts.

"H-huh?" I stuttered idiotically.

"Oh Bella!" Alice sobbed from a few feet away. "I'm so sorry! I should have said something…but she's just so-"

"Alice," I cut her off as Edward walked to gather his shaking sister into his comforting arms. "It's alright. Please don't worry about me. Are you alright?", It was comforting to know they cared about me so much even though they had only known me for a short while, but I had to know Alice was alright.

Alice gave a shaky nod as Edward eyed me and his sister sadly. He was probably fully aware of the affect his mother had on his young sister.

"I'm glad." I smiled towards the small girl. Alice was only eighteen or nineteen. When I was her age I had great parents and friends. My life was that of an average senior in high school. She had nothing but her brother. She had no normal life. I could finally understand why she was so worried about him before.

If she lost Edward, she lost everything. She would have no one to care for her or love her the way she deserved. Something inside me was determined to make sure that would change very soon.

I looked up towards Mr. Mason as I beamed as warmly as I could towards Alice.

"You've both been so gracious." I continued to soothe the both of them. "Just seeing Mr. Mason fight was such an honor."

Both of their expression showed they didn't believe a word I said and held more apologies than I had received in a long time, even after the time Rose brought home that demon possessed cat home that tore up the quilt my mother had made me as a college graduation gift. She had apologized for two weeks straight and I had forgiven her but Edward and Alice's apologies were just with their eyes…and utterly overwhelming.

"I'm very sorry my mother spoiled your evening, Miss Swan." Edward's tone was so soft as he spoke. "I know how much you wanted to see the fight…I should've known better than to let her come." he shook his head. Why were they apologizing? They both held the same body language…ashamed with hunched shoulders and ashamed expressions.

"Please," I pleaded with them as Rose placed her careful arm over my shoulder reassuringly. "I had such a great time tonight," I reassured Alice and her brother with as much sincerity as I could muster.

Edward seemed to figure out after a while that I wasn't going to give into his belittling upon himself or his sisters, giving me a dazzling smile now. It didn't touch his eyes at first but as I gave him a genuine smile back, a nervous giggle bubbling up to my lips, it seemed that the happiness I had been desperately wanting to see in him once more reappeared, making me beam up at him even wider.

"Shall we?" Edward motioned towards the stairway that led back up to the loft.

"Bells," Rosalie's grip on my shoulder stopped me before I could move to follow Edward's motion.

"Yeah?"

"Um…I was thinking…maybe I could go and meet Mr. McCarthy?" Rosalie's already rosy cheeks mirrored the color my own had been just a few moments ago as she was telling me she was basically about to ditch me for some bruised and beaten boxer.

I wasn't totally comfortable with the thought but Rose was a grown woman…and maybe Emmett McCarty needed a little cheering up after badly losing to someone he had been so determined to beat. And Rosalie Hale was definitely the girl to put a smile on a man's face.

"Okay." I agreed hesitantly. "Where are you going to be?" I asked, hearing my father's voice in my own. Charlie had always made sure to know where I was at all times and now I was doing the same with Rose.

"Well, that's the thing," Rosalie's arm was off my shoulder in a millisecond as she sucked her lower lip in between her teeth and flicked her gaze from me to Edward quickly. "I was wondering if…" her eyes moved from me to Edward.

"I was wondering if _Edward_ knew where I could go to meet him?" she couldn't help but bat her ridiculously long lashes up at Edward before he let out a low chuckle of amusement.

"I'm sure Carlisle will be more than happy to take you, Miss Hale." Edward spoke with obvious lightness in his voice. It was much better than his sharp glances towards his own mother.

As if right on cue, Carlisle walked back into view.

"I would be delighted, Miss Hale." Carlisle stated with a wry smile.

Rose was practically bouncing off the walls as she began to follow Mr. Cullen back towards wherever he was going to lead her when Alice chirped up. Edward had already been pushing a still frazzled looking Alice along with us when she decided to speak up, making everyone halt.

"Edward," Alice was pale as she looked up at her now concerned looking brother. "I think Carlisle should take me home." She said looking down at the concrete floor beneath us.

"Okay," Edward's voice was hesitant and slow as he spoke towards his sister. I noticed he was trying to look over her face or maybe look for something in her eyes…but she just kept her eyes to the floor.

"Are you feeling alright, Ali?" Edward asked as he placed a shoulder around her gently.

"Y-yeah…" she stuttered nervously. "It's just been a really…interesting day. I think I just need some sleep, that's all." she smiled up at him half-heartedly. Her face was finally in view, allowing us to see that she did actually look tired and meek.

"Alright," Edward sighed, nodding.

"Carlisle, could you take Alice back to her apartment once you are finished with Miss Hale?" Edward said lightly pushing his sister towards Carlisle. Carlisle gave Alice a small, comforting smile before placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and looking back up at Edward.

"Of course." Carlisle agreed compliantly but sincerely.

After Carlisle had made his way off with my best friend and Alice in tow I suddenly became hyper aware of Edward presence…alone. I hadn't thought that with Rosalie and Alice gone I would be left alone.

Alone with Edward Mason.


	7. Chapter 7: You Never Make It Alone

**Something Worth Fighting For**

**Chapter 7: You Never Make It Alone**

**Isabella Swan**

Being alone with Edward Mason was a better thrill than your first time on a rollercoaster.

There were a lot more bumps and turns involved as well. It was quite shocking, feeling the almost electrical pull that remained constant between us. I had never felt anything like it before. Even with the first guy I had ever had sex with, I hadn't felt anything that way.

I waited patiently for Edward in the empty loft as he showered. He had already gotten checked over and cleared to leave by his Cut-Man in the back wing so I knew he wouldn't take long.

I was a total wreck, to say the least. I went from pacing back and forth in front of the huge glass wall where I watched the last few people that lingered around the ring. You could tell that they were hoping to catch a glimpse of Edward Mason.

When it finally started to clear out, I eagerly grabbed the remote from beside me and switched the channel to the report on ESPN about the match.

The announcers were in love with Edward. But then again, who wasn't?

They commended him on everything; his quickness, his agility, his power, and apparently his ability to just fight. I think the only female reporter at that table stared at Edward's picture for a bit longer than she needed when they showed a slow motion play of the fight against McCarthy.

I didn't blame the hair-sprayed bimbo. His body had to be one of the seven wonders of this world. I think we'll just kick the Taj Mahal right out the door and replace it with Edward Mason's abs.

"They sure do love to talk, huh?" Edward's playful voice came into earshot.

My neck craned around from the area on the couch I was sitting at. All the blood in my body didn't hesitate a millisecond to rush up to my cheeks.

Edward Mason was standing about ten feet away from me with nothing on but a pair of perfectly fitted jeans that hung so low I could see the black elastic waistband of his Calvin Klein's.

_Oh yeah. I _totally_ want to lick that little patch of Heaven_. The pink skank inside of me was relentless tonight. She was dying to sink her claws into that chunk of man-candy. I was in total agreement with her, though.

He was running a little white towel through his copper locks, causing his biceps to bulge and flex in all the right ways. His abs still glimmered and shone in the low lights above, thanks to the water that still clung to his skin. The one thing I probably should have noticed before I had turned into a dripping mess of goo – the shameless hussy I am – was the single, gold cross that hung down from a long chain around his neck.

Wow. He really _was_ raised Catholic, like he said in his interview.

I resisted the urge to moan as the prostitute in pink stuck her head out and made me re-avert my gaze back to those glistening abs. Only God could have chiseled out those babies with a toothpick and some serious time on his hands.

Hmmm…maybe that's why all my prayers haven't been answered yet.

Edward didn't seem to notice my obvious ogling. His focus was intent on the ESPN review of the match.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." Edward spoke gently. His eyes were still focused on the flat screen.

Sweet baby Jesus, he had no idea what he was doing to me. Even now as he flung the white towel away towards his hamper, he probably didn't notice the crossing and uncrossing action happening between my legs at the moment.

I think I could get used to having him around all the time without a shirt on.

"Bella?" Edward's voice brought me out of body ogling heaven.

My eyes shot back up to his face to see a crooked and cocky smile plastered on his perfect fucking lips. His eyes showed obvious amusement at my expense. I felt my face growing a million shades of red that Crayola would probably love to name.

I could see it already: _Beat Red Bella_.

"Are you a-alright?" Edward stuttered. He tried to conceal his laughter with a cough or two.

Oh yeah. Beat Red Bella was totally the shade I was sporting.

"Er," I coughed and cleared my throat for a moment. "Yes, I'm fine." I murmured under my breath.

He nodded gently as he retrieved what looked like a grey tee shirt with a pocket on the breast. As he pulled it on, I couldn't help it. I ogled again. I really didn't care if he caught me staring at him or not.

He ran his long fingers through his wet locks, his biceps curled and uncurled, showing just how perfectly built his body was. All thoughts of a few hours ago with his horrid mother and frazzled sister were banished and nothing but the fire I felt for this man even dared to enter my subconscious.

"Bella," Edward's voice was husky and low. Nothing I had ever heard before.

I turned towards him, staring back up to his equally beautiful face.

His eyes were filled with something I hadn't expected to reappear when we entered the loft; shame.

Shame for the way his mother acted towards me. Shame for the way the night had all gone down. I understood his anguish…but it was never necessary.

If his mother had smacked me across the face, I would have still left this match happy as a kid leaving a candy store with a bag full of chocolate. Okay, not so much but I still would have been pretty happy.

"Y-yeah?"

I wanted to smack myself right there.

Am I that stupid? YEAH? Really Bella? Oh gosh…

Edward took only a few seconds to flop down beside me on the comfortable couch here in the middle of the loft. His incredibly long stride and perfect grace that any supermodel dreamed of having was the cause of his speed. Yes, this man was perfect in every way.

He leaned forward a bit after planting himself a few inches beside me. We were so close our thighs almost touched. I wondered for a spilt second if he could feel the sparks that flew between us even without touching like I could.

Edward's forest green eyes brought me back from my thoughts as he began to speak once again.

"I'm so sorry about the way my…" his jaw clenched as he swallowed loudly. "About the way my mother acted towards you tonight. It will never happen again, I assure you."

My breath hitched for a moment.

Why was it whenever he spoke about his mother? Because his temper became so short? I understood the way she acted wasn't exactly normal…but she was still his mother. What terrible thing could she have done that could make Edward hate his own mother so much?

"Edward," I breathed his name as gently as I could, hoping to get him back at the carefree, laid back Edward he was only a moment ago.

"I told before. It's alright. She was just trying to protect you," I placed my hand gently over his that rested on his thigh.

Edward's eyes darted down to the space between almost instantly but went back up to my face so quickly I wasn't sure if it even really happened. "It doesn't exactly look great that

I'm a reporter who's writing an article about your personal life and then I come here." I chuckled.

I was right. It didn't look all that great, but it wasn't like I was going to go running to my laptop after the fight to write about every single little thing Edward did tonight. It would probably sell more papers, yeah, but I still had some morals.

"She may not have known the best way to show it, but I understand." I urged.

Edward was stunned for a moment, as if he was trying to let what I said sink in. Like I said it in a foreign language. His eyes were back to the lovely emerald green I adored so much, but I could tell he was still a bit touchy on the subject. I decided to change the topic. Maybe even lighten the mood?

_Yeah right. _The inner butch bitch scoffed. _You lightening up the mood either leads to falling flat on your ass or making a hideous, nervous giggle that will only embarrass you and make him know for sure that you are a total idiot._

I ignored that little remark and went back to the beautiful man before me. His face was so close to my own.

"Thank you for being so patient. So kind." Edward whispered in this thick voice that screamed of lust. His huge hand slowly lifted up to caress my cheek. I couldn't help but lean into his touch. I think I even sighed in contentment.

"I was so scared she had scared you off…" his tone reminded me that of his sisters when she was staring into the eyes of her mother. It made me pull away from his touch almost instantly.

The both of them were both so fragile. No matter how much muscle Edward had or how tough he seemed, he was still a little boy at heart. Alice wasn't as experienced as Edward was at hiding his hurt but I understood. She was still so young, and at that age it feels like the world is crumbling around you for every little thing. With a mother like hers it must be a million times worse.

I tried to lighten the mood a bit more and gave him a small chuckle.

"Edward, no offense," I tried to keep my tone light. "But I grew up in a huge Italian family with only male cousins," I patted his hand gently. His eyes shot up to mine. "It takes a lot more than a good bad-mouthing to scare me off! My own grandmother does that almost every time I speak to her." I grumbled that last part under my breath with a slight roll of my eyes.

I wasn't lying. I had grown up in a huge family of all boys. All of my mother's sister's and brothers had at least six children per family. Large didn't even begin to scrape the surface.

The hardest part of it all, at least for me, was the fact that their gender was the total opposite of my own. Every single one of them.

My mother was the only one blessed to have a daughter. By the way Rene looked at my constantly frazzled aunts and their large son's who wrecked everything in their path, I was going to be the only child she would ever have.

Edward pulled me back down to earth with a small chuckle.

All my cousin's stupid antics towards the only girl in our entire family didn't compare to those stupid Jersey Shore people's crap. Nope. My poor Gran would have to constantly hold me hostage in the kitchen where no boys were allowed. If they came in, my Gran's wooden spoon would quickly come into contact with some part of their body.

"You're Italian? But your last name is Swan." Edward's light jersey accent stuck it's head out briefly as he asked about myself. That was clear sign that slowly but surely, he was becoming more and more comfortable with me.

"My dad isn't Italian." I chuckled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

Charlie wasn't really comfortable with the whole, "My Big Italian Family" thing that went on with my mother's side. He was so cut off and not really into the whole expressing his feelings that my mother's side of the family really didn't understand him. Vise versa.

My mother's side of the family didn't particularly enjoy Charlie's company and they often expressed their feelings. Loudly. So during my early youth I was restricted to a one week visit during Christmas break to visit my loving and warm family up in Little Italy.

Little Italy was like a fairytale land to me. For most people who lived there, they would object with every ounce in their body, but I loved it. I loved the way you could walk down the block and smell a fresh pot of tomato sauce being made or the way people could laugh and curse at each other without doubting their love for each other. I loved the way everyone held so much faith not only in God but their faith they had in each other. I loved hearing the wonderful purr of the Italian language spoken around me and seeing young couples and elderly, alike, still as passionate about each other as they were the day they met. I loved it all.

Charlie didn't understand that.

Charlie grew up as the Preacher's son. He grew up being told that no matter what, you kept your opinions to yourself and your faith strong. He was to follow in my grandfather's footsteps but decided he couldn't take it anymore. By the time he turned eighteen he had already moved out and married a local college student and have a daughter by twenty.

I think it hurt Charlie a little bit that I connected more with my mother's family than with his. What did he expect? Every time I visited my father's family it wound up in tears and bible verses. Charlie didn't even read the bible.

"So your mother is?" Edward asked cautiously.

I wasn't afraid or ashamed of my family. I loved every single one of my crazy familia. No matter how loud, obnoxious or crazy they got. Rene was all of the above in every way you could think, but that's why I loved her so much.

"Oh yes." I spoke as Edward stood up from the couch to the table behind us. I heard a jingle of keys as I continued to speak.

"Full blood Italian. She speaks Italian fluently. Made me take lessons so I could speak with my grandmother when we visited her here in New York."

"Parla italiano?" I was stunned when he spoke my second most fluent language.

"Sì. Correntemente." I smiled up at him. "How do you-"

"My grandfather was the only real father figure in my life." Edward fiddled with his keys around his fingers as he stared down at the floor. "The only bad thing was, he only spoke Italian."

I was in shock. Could Edward Masen get anymore perfect?

Probably.

"So are we going to get out of here or what?" Edward grinned, giving me that perfect crooked smile of his. I practically leapt off that couch.

"Where are we headed?" I was intrigued by everything this man of many talents did.

Edward's lips twisted up into a beautiful but smug grin.

"My place."


	8. Chapter 8: What A TKO!

**Something Worth Fighting For **

**Chapter 8. What a T.K.O**

**Isabella Swan**

His apartment was huge. And when I say huge, I mean really freaking huge! The moment you stepped out of the elevator that automatically lead into his den and kitchen area, you could see nothing but white marble and beautiful furniture that looked like it had never even been touched before covering every inch of the place. Nothing less than what I expected from Edward Masen.

I'm sure he expected nothing less than the best for himself either.

"I'm sorry for all that mayhem down there." Edward apologized for the hundredth time.

When we had pulled up to his penthouse apartment that was located in downtown Manhattan there were paparazzi lining every inch of the side walk. I think there was even some guy who tried to jump out in front of Edward's brand new, silver, Aston Martin just to get a snap shot of Edward and I together. Too bad the fucker didn't know that Edward had gotten some tint treatment on all his cars that didn't allow the flash of the camera to capture anything.

What did I tell you? Nothing but the best for Mr. Masen.

Just because Madison Square garden had Edward's car safely secured underground didn't mean that the paparazzi wouldn't try to get to us. They did.

They had practically attacked Edward and I after barely steeping one foot through the elevator that lead down to the secluded garage, but thanks to Edward's massive body providing great coverage, they weren't able to catch a great face shot of me. It was a million times worse than what Alice, Rosalie and I had been subjected to. Edward had to practically beat them all off of us with a stick.

Now, you never underestimate the Pap, though. I'm sure that even though Edward was fighting them off left and right and I had found some sanctuary-thanks to Edward's immensely large body-they would have a picture of whatever part of my body they captured of me slapped right on the cover of _People_ by morning.

"It's alright," I heard myself sigh shakily. It was more like letting out a huge breath of air that I had been holding in since we got into his apartment complex.

Ever since the interview I had held with Edward Masen, had been able to actually see this man in person and not just on a television screen, I have felt like every single fiber in my body has been set on fire. He set me on fire. With every breathe, fluid movement of his muscles that he made, I felt my skin prickle even harder. It was as if Edward was bringing me right back to life just by looking at me.

"I really wish you'd stop saying everything is alright when we both know it isn't." Edward snickered under his breath. I just smiled apologetically as he threw down his keys and walked into the living room area. I could feel my breathe catch in my throat as I heard him begin to walk up behind me.

I had been terribly rude and lead myself in to openly oggle at all of the things that lined the walls of Mr. Masen's living room area. He had pictures of him winning his title that he now held today, or punching the lights out of Mayweather. There were pictures of him and Alice standing on the steps of the Empire State Building and in Grand Central Park, skating during Christmas time. In that picture they both looked quite a bit younger then they were now.

"It comes with the territory I guess…?" I whispered, disregarding his presence for the moment.

No matter how sexy the man behind me was, or how badly I wanted to lick every inch of his body, the inner fan of Edward Masen's that had been following him his whole career just could not take her eyes off the photos and other memorabilia around her.

There was a large fireplace at the end of the west wall. The mantel was covered with everything from framed belts Edward had won along side metals, trophies, scholarships est. It was as if batman had brought me into his layer. I was just waiting for the bat mobile to come out.

"What territory is that, exactly?" I jumped probably a foot in the air when I had felt Edward's fingers brush against the skin of my neck. His touch left a searing trail of fire in his finger's path and I couldn't help but moan a little at the pleasure of his scalding touch.

For a moment I wondered when had he gotten so close to me since I hadn't even heard him get that close, but I decided I honestly didn't give a flying fuck after about two seconds.

I turned from all the wonderful memorabilia before me, slightly reluctant but more than willing to see the gorgeous man behind me. My breath caught in my throat as I noticed his proximity to me. My chest was pressed up against his torso as he leaned down so our faces were only centimeters apart. I had been thrown off by how close he was and easily found stability by placing my hands on his chest.

"You never answered my question Miss Swan," his tone low as his eyes went back and forth from my hands that rested on his chest to my face. I could practically taste his sweet breath. His glowing green eyes flickered from every aspect of my face but finally rested on my lips.

"What question might that be Mr. Masen?" I asked quietly, still a bit dizzy. My eyes needed to focus and found the perfect resting spot on Edward's perfectly shaped lips.

"What territory were you speaking about Isabella?" His hand traveled from my neck up to my hair.

His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip, making me gulp loudly. Everything in my god damned body was screaming at me to fuck this man senseless, but I needed him to make the first move. To make sure that this would all be alright

Without warning he eagerly pulled out the hair tie that held my hair up in a low bun, causing my hair to flow down to my waist with leisure. His hands instantly tangled themselves in my long locks and I groaned out in sweet agony. I wanted him so badly.

I was silently surprised when I heard Mr. Masen give a little moan as well. I could feel his hips press into me eagerly. His face was becoming so close to mine as I felt something rather large and hard pressing into my stomach.

"You're famous." I panted, running my hands up his pecks and towards his neck. I continued my path, going back and forth, feeling his heart beat begin to speed up beneath my hands.

"I think we've established that," Edward's hands moved from my hair slowly, creating a path of their own.

His hands trailed down my torso, down my hips, until his hands reached my ass, and pulled me tighter against him. We were so close now that I couldn't tell who's breath was who's as we panted, our lips only centimeters away from each other.

"Well," I swallowed hard when his darkened eyes locked on mine. "Since you're so famous it's only natural that people want to know every single thing that you do."

Edward quirked a perfectly shaped eyebrow up in amusement.

"Is that what you are going to be, Isabella?" Edward breathed, moving his lips a fraction of a centimeter closer. "Are you just something I _do_?"

I couldn't help it anymore. I lunged.

"God, I hope so."

I crashed my lips to Edwards, thanking God silently that he was kissing me back with as much force and heat as I was him. Our lips moved heatedly against each others while our teeth and tongues clashed. They danced for dominance as we tasted each other, feeling each other and pushing each other harder and harder against our own bodies. It was as if he could never get close enough. Maybe it was our damned clothes.

My body wasn't connected to my brain any more. _I_ wasn't even connected to my brain any longer. I felt Edward groping and pulling on my body as I let out loud moans into Edward's mouth. I needed him. I wanted him and I only hoped that he wanted me back as much as I wanted him.

We pulled away from each other to take a deeply needed breath but quickly went back for each other, and I regretted it instantly. That split second that I poked my head up for air, my mind began to wonder worriedly.

I had only known this man for two or three days and I was already willing to have sex with him? I hadn't even given the first that leniency!

_Do you honestly care? _the bimbo in me pleaded.

Nope. I honestly didn't give a fuck.

_You should! He'll think you're a slut! Your _idol_ will think you're a slut. _My subconscious really needed to shut the fuck up.

I really liked Edward Masen and apparently he liked me back.

Edward was the one to bring me out of my thoughts. His hands had moved from my ass to the sides of my tighs.

Edward pulled his lips from mine, both of us gasping for another much needed but unwanted breath of air and latched onto my neck.

He didn't waste anymore time fiddling with the hem of my way too short dress any longer and roughly pulled it up over my hips. I groaned softly when I felt Edward begin to nibbled on my neck gently but moaned loudly when I felt his hand slide into my underwear and slip his fingers in between my already slick folds.

"Oh my god!" I hissed and latched my fingernails into Edward's shoulders. He didn't even fucking flinch.

His fingers were slow at first, running up and down my entrance but then began to move faster. He made rapid circles around my swollen clit, furiously rubbing me and making my hips buck into his hand.

"Edward!" I gasped incoherently, feeling the spring in my stomach begin to coil tighter and tighter.

"Hmm?" I could practically hear Edward smiling. "So fucking wet," he groaned and slipped a finger inside of me, sending my eyes to roll in the back of my head.

My knees shook fiercely as Edward pumped faster and faster. I felt as though I might collapse at any moment, but Edward already had that covered, holding me up with his free hand, up around my waist.

"Please…" I hissed, digging my nails even deeper into Edward's shoulders. Edward unlatched himself from my neck to look at me with those eyes. Those sexy as fuck eyes.

"Please what, Bella?" Edward hummed as I began to feel his fingers move much, much slower than before. I could practically feel my climax dwindling.

"Please," I whispered in a much lower voice.

I wanted to show him what I needed. Not what I wanted. I moved a shaking hand down to meet his that was between my legs and stopped him. His eyes became confused for a moment as I tried to catch my breath and speak.

"Edward, make love to me." I panted out.

Edward's eyes widened in shock for a split second but instantly softened and filled with nothing but emotion. Edward pulled his fingers out of me, causing me to suppress another agonized groan, and placed his hands on my hips.

I couldn't help it anymore. I leaned up on my tip toes and slowly leaned forward until our lips barely even touched, still looking up at him. That's when he took the lead. His lips pressed gently into mine and began kissing me differently then we had just a few minutes ago. This kiss was so sweet and gentle that I couldn't help but feel my eyes flutter closed.

We had only known each other for less than twenty four hours and he already wanted to have sex with me?

_Make love_, my subconscious corrected.

It was true. I didn't want Edward to just fuck me and ditch me. If he wanted me as badly as I wanted him, then he would say yes. If he wanted option A, he would tell me to leave.

"Okay…" Edward breathed after pulling away from my lips.

I could feel myself smile widely as Edward's hands hooked under my knees before lifting me up and wrapping my legs around his waist. I didn't know where he was taking me as we began to walk but I had a pretty good idea.

My eyes didn't leave his as we made our way into what seemed to be his bed room. I ran my fingers back and forth between his jaw, cheek and temple. I wanted to memorize his every feature and by the looks of it, he wasn't planning on taking his eyes of off me any time soon either. As he walked slowly through the house with me in his arms, we leaned in for a few chaste but very sweet kisses every now and then but sooner than I had imagined, we were in his bedroom.

Edward set me down on my feet and gently turned me around. At first I didn't understand and thought maybe he was going to run from me when I had my back turned, but sighed in content when I felt his fingers brush my hair to the side and begin to unzip the back of my dress. I couldn't help the tiny humming noise of happiness I made when I felt Edward's warm and smooth lips press against my shoulder.

"Bella," Edward hummed against my skin gently, but I could really hear what he was saying. Or rather asking.

He wanted to make sure this was alright. That even tough we had only known each other for such a short amount of time that this would be alright. For the both of us.

I didn't speak. I couldn't. I just nodded my head furiously like the idiot I was.

I didn't beat myself over it, though. I mean how could I not act stupid right now? I had this beautiful man wanting to make love to me just as bad as I wanted to. Not to mention the man who wanted me as badly as I wanted him had been my idol practically my entire life. It was as if Batman had swooped down and saved me himself. Except this was better.

It was Edward Masen who had swooped down to make love to me.

I hadn't even bothered to look around his room or see where I was. I hadn't even looked around the hallways when he had walked us through his apartment to get here. Once again, I couldn't. He was far too distracting for any of that.

Edward turned me back around as I held my dress to myself, and gently lifted me back into his arms, only to lay me back onto what felt like cool silk beneath me. I didn't care about that, though. I didn't pay attention to it. I could only pay attention to the beautiful man before me.

The room was dark around us and my eyes hadn't adjusted yet so I couldn't really see Edward but I could definitely feel him. I could feel his eyes on my skin as he hesitated at the foot of the large bed beneath me. I could hear his heavy pants becoming a matching rhythm with my sporadic heartbeats, that I'm pretty sure he could hear as clear as day.

I could finally see his outline after a few seconds of letting my eyes adjust and, Jesus, was it a great outline! Before I could even look for his beautiful eyes to catch a glimpse of what he was feeling, I felt his weight press onto mine.

His lips crashed back onto my own and suddenly, I didn't care anymore. I threw any thoughts about what would happen in the morning, what my family would think, how this would affect my job or how the crazy press could attack me like they attacked Edward downstairs.

None of those things mattered, because right at that moment the only thing that mattered was Edward and how much I wanted him. How much he wanted me.

"Bella," Edward groaned into my lips as I began my torture on.

I had begun trailing my fingers down his chest until they finally met their desired destination; the button on Edward's jeans.

As I fiddled with the small metal button, Edward's eyes shot to mine. I didn't hesitate to lock my own gaze with his while I unbuttoned his jeans and gently moved down to his zipper. I didn't rip my eyes away from the green fire burning in Edward's for a second as I finally ripped the zipper down. We both let out a groan of relief.

It wouldn't be hard for me to roll Edward over from his position, so I did. I was ravenous for this man and I wasn't going to wait any longer. I placed both hands flat on his shoulders and shoved lightly. He got the message and rolled over, pulling me on top of him with ease.

My legs found their way to straddle Edward's waist with ease as his hands glided down to my hips, gripping firmly enough to hold me in place but not to harm me. I bit my lip in mischief before giving Edward just a little taste of what was to come. I urgently pushed my hips down so that my already throbbing core grinded up against his clearly hard and…rather large member.

"Jesus Christ!" Edward hissed through clenched teeth, gripping onto the duvet bellow him and not on me any longer. That was exactly what I had wanted him to do.

"Shhh," I tried to soothe as I leaned down to place a trail of slow kisses down Edwards chest.

I was going to take my sweet time with him. I wasn't going to just let this go by as quickly as possible. No, this was going to last as long as he would let it. And hopefully he could last a while.

I moved my lips down lower, finally reaching those beautiful abs of his. I made sure to kiss every single muscle that protruded and flexed beneath me, followed by my greedy fingers gently tracing their way down his perfectly defined stomach.

Edward was practically trembling in anticipation beneath me when I reached his belly button. I kissed the little dip in his flesh gently but didn't waste too much time there because the hem of his already loosened jeans was right there for the taking. My fingers traced down the little bit of his deeply cut groin that poked out a bit over his Calvin's before finally reaching the hem of his jeans.

I wanted to see Edwards face as I tore off his jeans, so I stole a glance to see Edward's face practically as clear as day, thanks to the glow of the full moon shining in on the both of us. Edward's entire face was strained with concentration. His beautiful jaw clenched and eyes closed tightly, waiting for me to undress him. We weren't even fully naked and he was already hard as fucking stone. Damn.

I had only been looking for a split second, but Edward had felt the hesitation. His eyes opened like someone had slapped him awake and his concentration was only on me now. As soon as those eyes looked down at me, my hands did what they had wanted to this entire time. I ripped off those suckers not even all the way before crawling back up Edward's body so that I was straddling him again.

I gently placed my lips back to his as I felt Edward kicking off this jeans the rest of the way. The purpose of that whole thing wasn't to get his pants off-I mean it was but there was more to it-it was to simply let him know that this was going to be the best night of his entire mother-fucking life.

I wanted to just stay there for a second, kissing Edward's perfect, warm lips that tasted like sugar and sweat, but it didn't take long for me to notice Edward had his own plan now.

Edward sat up, careful not to move me off my position on his lap, and pulled his lips away from mine. I wanted to protest and tried to attack his lips again, but his eyes gave me a warning not to try any thing like that.

"My turn." his eyes were just as deadly as his words. They glowed brilliantly while I felt one of his strong arms begin to wrap around my hips and the other moved to trace up along my shoulder and to my neck.

I couldn't help it as I leaned my neck to the side and let my eyes flutter closed. His touch on my skin just felt so goddamn good and my body was willing to give him whatever the hell he wanted.

_Damn straight!_, all three of my inner hussies huffed.

I felt Edward's lips attack my neck as soon as he saw the wide open door I had given him. They didn't remain on my neck for long, though. As his hand moved to the strap of my dress that had, by some miracle, remained on my shoulder his lips moved to the base of my throat. Every inch of me was prickling with wanton need.

Edward's long, warm fingers slid underneath the strap of my dress and slowly glided it down my arm until I felt my right breast become fully exposed to him.

"No bra?" his eyebrow cocked up as he gave me a smug grin.

"I-it didn't go with the dress." I stuttered like the pile of goop I was becoming.

He hummed in appreciation for a moment, but went right back to what he had been doing before. He wasn't going to wait any longer and his lips immediately latched onto my already hardened nipple.

"Edward!" I mewled loudly and sinking my fingernails into the flesh of his shoulders. He didn't even flinch. His tongue flicked the pebbled nub furiously before letting his teeth graze the already sensitive skin.

My hips couldn't be stopped as they buck into his huge erection below me. My hips were quickly cut off. Edward's arm that had been around my waist had lifted me up off his perfect cock and Edward's mouth was gone from my breast without warning.

"Not yet, baby." Edward scolded gently, giving me that perfect crooked smile of his.

I gave out a little plea filled mewl, feeling my hips buck in the air for some sort of friction, but Edward just shushed me and placed his lips back on my nipple. It felt better then when he had first latched on, making me cry out loudly.

"Oh God, please." I pleaded. I didn't know what I was pleading for, but I did.

"It's Edward." I just moaned and tried to fight against him. Trying to make him give me what I needed.

Edward sucked harder as I closed my eyes and pushed my chest into him even harder. My clint was throbbing furiously, soaking my terribly thin underwear.

Edward unlatched his lips from my nipple but hurriedly ripped my other strap down from my shoulder, exposing my right breast to him now. As he began his shower of affection on that side I felt his other hand that held me up and away from his erection, move the hem of my dress up so that his hand could begin kneading the flesh of my ass and thighs.

"Edward, please!" I yelped after he gave my left nipple a gentle nibble. That caught his attention.

He gave me a loving smile full of affection as he rolled us over once more. I was underneath him again.

Edward Masen hadn't given me the impression that he was one for wasting time the entire twenty four hours I had known him and it seemed like he certainly wasn't going to start now.

Edward's hand pulled my dress up over my body in a mere few seconds, followed by the discarding of the already drenched lace underwear I had worn. His grey Calvin Klein's were gone before I could even blink.

I couldn't take it any longer and reached my face up to his so our lips could finally clash together like I had wanted before even meeting this man face to face. I had always wanted Edward Masen as my own and now I was moments away from having him.

With our lips moving together with a fire even hell couldn't match, I felt Edward's cock line up at my entrance, teasing me. I groaned into our kiss and wrapped my arms around Edward's shoulders.

As I gripped tighter around Edward's neck, readying myself for this, Edward finally thrust right into me. I let out a moan of sheer pleasure.

"Fuck! Bella you're so tight!" Edward moaned as I finally felt what I had been yearning for.

I threw my head back in utter bliss and moaned out Edward's name as he began to pump in and out at a slow but powerful pace. I could slowly begin feel the thin sheet of sweat forming on both our bodies as we moved together gently, proving how much heat was flowing between us both.

I looked up to see Edward's face, only to see his face contorted back into concentration and pleasure. He wanted this to last just as long as I did but he was enjoying it just as much as I was.

"Edward, please," I pleaded. "Faster!"

Edward didn't speed up like I needed him to, but flipped us once again so that I was straddling him one more time.

"Ride me, Bella." Edward panted, gripping my slick hips. As I looked down into Edward's eyes I could see he wanted this as badly as I wanted him to speed up and goddamn it if I wasn't going to give it to him.

I began to move my hips as quickly and as hard as I could, feeling exactly what I had wanted to feel before. I wasn't exactly inexperienced in the field of sex, but I wasn't an expert either. I had been with one man about two times.

"That's it, baby." Edward grunted, forcing my hips to move even faster now. "Can you feel it?"

I couldn't verbalize words as I rode out his enormous cock. I simply gripped a handful of my own hair, closed my eyes and nodded. I felt one of Edward's hands move up to my breast and lightly tug on my nipple.

"Oh fuck!" I gasped before gripping both of my hands on the headboard in front of me. That's when I felt Edward's fingers move down from my breast to my clint. Edward rubbed my little bundle of nerves faster than before. I let out another cry of pleasure.

The spring in the pit of my belly began to coil once more, making my head spin and every muscle in my body began to tense. Edward noticed instantly.

"Let go, baby." he panted out as I squeezed my eyes together even harder.

That only made Edward move even faster. Thrust after fucking thrust I felt as if he was gradually pushing me over the edge. My toes began to curl at the wonderful sensation.

"That feel good?" Edward whispered, sitting up, now so that our foreheads pressed together. I bit down on my lower lips so hard I thought it would bleed and nodded in response. He moved even harder. His thrusts were deep and strong as we both moaned and held on for dear life.

"Edward! Oh God! Please don't stop!" I was chanting his name over and over again as if it were a silent prayer while our flesh pounded against each others so hard you could hear a slight smacking sound.

I was so close that I actually prayed he wouldn't budge an inch and make this feeling go away. I was definitely going to hell for that prayer.

"Oh Bella! Fuck!" Edward groaned as he flipped us over again.

God he had to stop doing that!

Edward pulled one leg up around his waist and started pounding into me like no had ever done before. In this position I could feel him go deeper than ever before until he reached that spot.

"Edward….I'm gunna….please don't…..oh god….shit!" I tried to mumbled out something to tell him not to flip us over again but it was to late.

I was sent right off the edge. I couldn't stop the screams of Edward's name flying out my mouth until I heard him screaming as well. As Edward reached his climax, I felt yet another orgasm hit me even harder than the last.

I think he made me speak in fucking tongues!

As we both came down from our high's Edward rolled us over one last time, our bodies still connected, so that I was lying on top of his chest, gasping for air. We just sat there like that for a while; my hands and cheeks pressed against his warm chest and his hand in my hair as we tried to gather ourselves together.

Somewhere between deep breaths and the smell of sugar and sex we both found our way into sleep. Content and totally in love.


	9. Chapter 9: Keep It Up, Knock 'Em Down

**Something Worth Fighting For **

**Chapter 9. Keep It Up, Knock 'Em Down**

**Isabella Swan **

Sunlight was what woke me up that morning. Huge and terribly bright rays of a New York morning sun was exactly the kind of alarm clock a girl like me needed. I didn't particularly enjoy being blinded by the brilliant beams of sunlight pouring into the room through the large window in front of me, so I decided to move away from it.

That's when I felt it. Or rather, I felt _him_.

I felt a pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around the middle of my waist as Edward held me to his chest. I was confused for a moment, trying to figure out why exactly Edward Masen was in my bed and that's when I realized. This wasn't my bed. This wasn't even my apartment!

I was in Edward Masen's bed. Sleeping with him! Memories of last night flooded back to me as I tried to contain the huge, goofy smile from creeping up on my lips. I failed miserably.

I had to get a hold on myself and try and get up because the pressing in my bladder was becoming more unbearable by the second. Not to mention my morning breath I was sporting probably wouldn't be all too wonderful for Edward to wake up to either. I could only imagine my hair.

It took me a few minutes to find a way to get out of Edward's hold on me without waking him but I did it, quickly swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and standing quietly. I knew walking around Edward Masen's house completely nude was probably a terrible idea since he had a nineteen year old sister who happened to have a key to his apartment and paparazzi that would probably climb up the walls of Edward's pent house complex to snap a photo of me through a window or something.

Wouldn't that be great? Not!

Charlie would have a heart attack if he saw me in my birthday suit on the cover of _People_ while Gran and the boys would just beat me until I pledged myself into a convent. Rene would probably just laugh her ass off and hand me a pint of ice cream with a spoon stuck in it while I cried on her old couch she's had since her college days. I shuttered at the idea.

I shook my head clear of the thought and quietly tip toed through the room searching for the dress I had worn last night. It was so dark in there last night that I hadn't even gotten a chance to see what the room looked like.

It was a rather large room, with a full length glass wall, floor to ceiling and dark mahogany wood furniture surrounded every inch of the room. His walls were painted a light cream color while the two doors that remained on the west wall were the same color wood as the furniture around me.

I prayed to God that one of them was a restroom as I searched for my dress on my hands and knees.

I couldn't find that damn dress anywhere and realized I didn't exactly pay any attention to where Edward had thrown it when he ripped it off my body. I did find my underwear and the v-neck Edward had worn last night, though. My bladder was about to burst as I grabbed both the shirt and my panties and sprinted as quietly as I could towards one of the doors on the other side of the room.

I thanked God silently as I recognized the restroom. I tried my hardest to close the door without any noise and flipped on the first light switch I could find before running over to the toilet, finally relieving myself.

I washed my hands after finishing my business and pulled on my underwear. Edward's shirt fit me like a circus tent, though. It was so big on me that the neck of the shirt hung over my shoulder slightly and the hem of it came down to the middle of my thighs. He certainly wasn't this large compared to me was he?

_Well he was certainly large in other areas_, All three of those little hussies inside me had definitely taken notes, pictures and video for later.

What a bunch of shameless whores. I chuckled to myself quietly at that thought and padded my way over to the mirror to check out the extent of the damage last night's little affair.

"Hmm. Not bad," I mumbled to myself in the mirror.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it was. I saw that my hair looked like someone had gotten a teasing comb and a blow torch and had some fun, but my skin wasn't red and splotchy like it usually was when I woke up. In fact, I was glowing. My eyes had absolutely no bruises under them and a slight tint of pink touched my cheeks. The only thing was the little bit of mascara that had rubbed off on my skin during sleep.

I grabbed one of the cream colored towels off the rack beside the sink and washed off any left over mascara and grime from my face before ransacking Edward's drawers for a brush or comb.

I was lucky to find a small black comb that I could easily get the tangles out of my hair with and a hair tie Alice had probably left in here at some point in time. After all the tangles were gone from my hair I easily pulled my thick hair into a pony tail and reached for the unused tooth brush still in the package I had found along side the comb.

I made sure I scrubbed every tooth in my mouth before rinsing the tooth brush thoroughly before walking back out into Edward's room as quietly as I could. As soon as I closed the bathroom door behind me I turned to see Edward still sleeping peacefully under the covers.

For a moment I contemplated on weather I should go home to my apartment and risk being hounded by press, since I would definitely be noticed from the same clothes I had worn last night. Or simply crawl back into bed with Edward and wait until he woke up with me in his arms.

That was an easy choice. I hadn't even taken a full step forward when I heard the undeniable sound of my stomach growling to life and the dull sensation of hunger hit me. That's when it came to me. I could make breakfast for Edward and I.

I smiled at the thought of cooking in Edward's kitchen but caught myself. I wasn't going to be all weird about this or anything. It was going to be a thank you gift, I guess.

_A thank you gift? For what? The mind blowing orgasms he gave you last night?, _The whore pack was back and bubblegum Barbie was rearing her post coital glowing head out.

I shook my head at myself and decided it was a thank you gift for letting me and Rose go to his match last night.

_Oh shit! Rose! _

I tried to think about where I had last seen Rose last night and remembered she had gone off with Carlisle to go see Emmett McCarty. There we go! I had to find my purse and call her. This time I had to remember where I left my purse. I hadn't brought it into Edward's room.

I had left it in the living room!

I quietly rushed back towards the door I knew was the door to Edward's room and walked out into a totally unfamiliar hallway. The walls were the same color as his room and there were about three doors on each side of the hall. I wondered which one was Alice's room for a moment but kept moving.

I recognized the living room at the end of the hall and tried my hardest to run as fast as I could and as silently as I could. I finally reached the bright living room to see Edward had the most beautiful living room ever to exist.

There were no solid walls around at all. There was only large floor to ceiling glass windows just like in his room, with a wrap around terrace outside. It was a rather large pavilion with a few pieces of furniture out there so he could probably sit and see the beautiful view I knew he had from here. You could see all of New York right from where I was standing. I couldn't imagine what it looked like from out there.

The view was beautiful but the one thing that I hadn't noticed last night that stood out to me the most now, was the deep mahogany Baby Grand in the corner, glistening brilliantly from the sunlight streaming in through the windows.

Edward didn't play piano, did he? I mean a boxer's hands were the first thing to go, statistically. Whether it be from broken bones, fractures or early arthritis. And by the way Edward packed a punch, I was sure he had probably hurt his hands quite a few times. Maybe Alice?

I tried not to think about it any longer as I rushed over to the large crème colored couch and spotted the little black clutch I had brought with me. It took me two seconds flat to pull out my Blackberry. I noticed the time before I checked my messages; Saturday, August 13th, 2010. 3:45pm.

I wanted to squeal in horror, but contained myself and continued scrolling through my messages.

**To: **Isabella Swan

**From: **Rosalie Hale

**Subject: **Ditch a bitch, why don't cha?

**Date: **August 12, 2010

**Time: **12:23 pm

**B,**

**where the hell are you? Did Masen snag you away to some fabulous club or something? text me as soon as you get this! **

**xoxo**

**-Rosalie**

…

I rolled my eyes at that. She was just being a nosey bitch and probably just trying to see if we were like soul mates or some shit like that. Good thing I had set it to vibrate.

I clicked on the next one.

…

**To: **Isabella Swan

**From: **Rosalie Hale

**Subject: **I know what you're up to(;

**Date: **August 13, 2010

**Time: **2:34 am

**B, **

**Okay since you are not answering any of my calls or texts, I guess you don't want to know that I am at a pancake diner with EMMETT MC-FREAKIN'-CARTY!:D **

**Yeah, I know. A pancake diner? WTF? I think it's adorable, though. **

_**He's**_** adorable!**

**Well I need to get back to tall, buff and handsome! Haha!**

**I'll text you in the morning. Night Bells!(;**

**xoxo,**

**-Rosalie**

…

I couldn't help but laugh at how quick Rosalie could go from nosey and kind of paranoid to totally forgetful about her best friend and unconcerned about my well being.

Then again, I couldn't judge.

I hadn't even responded to her at all last night.

I laughed at myself as I pressed the call button and walked over to the kitchen area I had seen last night while waiting for Rosalie to pick up her phone. As I opened up Edward's refrigerator I saw everything from Muscle Milk protein shakes, Gatorades and various meats and vegetables immediately stand out to me. Typical boxer.

I literally had place my phone on my ear and lean my head to the side as I rummaged through the drawers for at least a couple of eggs and waited for Rosalie to pick up.

"H-hello?" Rosalie whispered in a low hiss.

"Rose?" I chuckled, finally gathering a carton of eggs in my arms, a carton of Tropicana Orange Juice and some sausage I was lucky to gather without dropping my phone and everything else. I kicked the fridge door closed as I spoke.

"Are you alright? Why are you whispering?" I asked slightly concerned.

Maybe she was hung over and I wasn't there to help her out. I flinched at my own thought.

_Shit!_

"Shhh! Bella! You're going to wake Emmet up! You talk so damn _loud_!" Rosalie scolded harshly.

"Oh, I'm sor-" Stop. Rewind. "Wait a second," I contemplated as I set all of the items I found in the fridge on the granite island on the opposite side the stove and oven area was at.

"What do you mean "_Wake up Emmet_!"?" I spoke as quietly as I could and finally held the phone with my hand while I searched for a pan.

"I-" Rosalie started loudly but was cut off by a loud, groggy grunt in the background.

That's when it all clicked.

Rosalie had spent the night with Emmet McCarty; Rookie of the Year. While I had slept with Edward Masen; Number Three Boxer in the World.

We were so screwed…and such whores.

"You slept with him didn't you?" I accused boldly.

Rosalie gave a gentle snort of denial when someone in the background spoke again.

"Rose, baby, come back to bed. Oh! I'm sorry." Emmet's voice was gruff but sweet when he spoke towards her. Loving even.

I had finally found a what looked like a brand new frying pan as I burst out into a fit of giggles while she spoke with him. I turned on the oven and placed the pan on the small flame as I began cooking, still trying to be quiet.

Edward probably couldn't hear me from his room but I didn't want to be any more intrusive or rude than I had already been.

"You're a total slut." I chuckled at my hypocritical joke and continued frying eggs. I silently hoped Edward like sunny-side-up.

"Oh really? Well where were you after you ran off with Mister Number-Three-Boxer-In-the-World, huh?" Rosalie's accusatorial tone matched mine from a moment ago, but I just laughed. I think I even heard Emmett snort in the background.

"That is none of your business." I became slightly defensive. It was the truth too. Rosalie did not need to know what or who I slept with.

Best friends or not.

"Oh come on! I told you!" Rosalie whined like a small child.

"No you didn't!" I defended. "You were totally going to deny it when Emmet woke up!" I chuckled.

"Whatever!" Rose huffed defiantly. "What time are you going to be home?"

I knew by answering I would be giving myself up, but I knew she wouldn't mock me. She just genuinely wanted to know.

"I don't know. Probably in a couple of hours. I have to take a shower and change clothes before heading off to the market so I can pick up some things for Gran. Tonight's family dinner if you want to come. You could even bring Emmet if you want." I offered.

When I moved to New York Gran decided that since my cousin's and most of my family lived within walking distance of her apartment in Little Italy that every Saturday we would have a family dinner and whatever Gran said went. Simple as that.

It was my turn to get groceries this week too, so I definitely couldn't skip. Not that I would ever want to. It would be blasphemy to miss my little old Italian grandmother's eggplant parmesan or Risotto alla Milanese.

"Demetri would love that!" Rosalie laughed at the thought of my oldest cousin's, Marcus, son Demetri.

Demetri loved boxing more than Marcus-a boxing fanatic-, Charlie and me combined. He had grown up around it since birth and when Heidi left…Marcus took Demetri to a boxing ring to get him to let him get all of his anger about his own mother running out on him.

That was the hardest time my entire family has ever had to go through. Marcus was already twenty five and still cried like a baby when Heidi left him, but Demetri was only four. He took it really hard and boxing became his only outlet. Marcus loved that his son shared his passion and they both did it together almost everyday.

"Yeah he would." I nodded, now working on the sausage links.

I couldn't help but smile at the thought of eight year old Demetri going nuts over seeing a pro boxer in Gran's house, sitting right across from him at our dinner table. Gran wouldn't give a crap. She probably doesn't even know who these men are.

"He would love it even more if you brought you-know-who." Rosalie sang idly. "You know that little boy and most of your family love that man about ten times as much as you do."

Rosalie's idea wasn't too horrible, but what would Edward think?

We had sex last night after only knowing each other for less than a day. Did I really want him to meet my loud and totally obnoxious family so soon? And this was like really soon for him to be meeting my family. _Really_ soon.

To add the cherry to the top of the cake was that they would be all over him since we idolized him and watched ever match he fought in.

He'd probably run out of Gran's place screaming.

"I'll think about it." I sighed as I began putting the food onto some plates I had found along with the frying pan.

"Alright, well we will definitely be there tonight. Right, Em?" Rose's voice was as sweet as cheery pie as she spoke to him. I was stunned.

"Sure, babe. Whatever you want." Emmet agreed happily.

I could practically hear a whip cracking in the background. One night and she already had him groveling at her feet? New record.

I didn't blame the poor guy, though. Rosalie was just as gorgeous on the inside as she was out. Sure she could be a bitch sometimes but she loved fiercely and only slept with guys she loved with all her heart. She had been heart broken more than once but she could always pick herself up and move on with ease.

"I'll see you tonight then?" I asked as I poured the orange juice into some glasses that had been lying around.

"Yep. We'll be there! Bye, Bells! Love you!"

"Love you too. Bye." I was just about to press the end button on my Blackberry when I felt a warm, strong and familiar pair of arms wrap around my waist and a gentle pair of lips kiss the top of my head.

"You look absolutely wonderful in my shirt," Edward sighed as I turned around to wrap my arms around his waist and looked up to beam up at him.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, looking down at myself in his overly large shirt. "I couldn't find my dress so I just threw it on. I hope I didn't wake you."

"I'm glad you couldn't find your dress," Edward gave me a little crooked smile that I couldn't help but love. "You look so much better in _my_ clothes," his eyes ran up and down my body as I tried to hold in a laugh. I looked like a little girl dressed in a giant's shirt and he thought I looked good? He had to be kidding.

I noticed him take a deep breath causing his eyes to change focus. His eyes went from me to the plates of eggs and sausage behind me on the granite counter top. His face fell slightly and I felt my heart sink into my stomach.

"Y-you cooked?" Edward stuttered in a low whisper. "For me?" his eyes were wide and back on mine. I felt my whole face turn pink with embarrassment.

"Yeah." I tried to stop my voice from shaking. "I hope you don't mind. I just-" I was cut off by a pair of warm lips crashing down onto mine.

His lips were gentle as he kissed me, careful not to deepen the kiss anymore. I was slightly disappointed but decided I should just enjoy it. The kiss only lasted a moment before he pulled away and placed his forehead against mine.

"I've never had anyone cook for me before," he beamed down at me. "I love it. Thank you."

"It's the least I can do," I chuckled hugging him closer.

I felt his lips press against my forehead one more time before he pulled away but kept one hand holding mine in his.

He grabbed both plates just like someone who had been waiting tables for years would while I grabbed the glasses of orange juice just as clumsily as ever. Edward pulled me towards the living room where I thought we would eat until he surprised me by opening one of the glass windows like a sliding door and pulled me out onto the pavilion.

It was a typical seventy five degrees out and thanks to a slight breeze coming through the almost fully enclosed area, it was the perfect weather to eat outside.

There was a small, mahogany wood table that matched almost the rest of the entire penthouse's furniture on the inside with matching chairs and even a love seat next to the brown iron railing a couple of yards away from where we stood. It was such a huge pavilion.

"I love to eat out here when the weather is good. Or just come out here to relax and think." Edward said setting the plates down on the table and pulling out a chair. I didn't blame him. It was beautiful out here and a perfect place to gather your thoughts.

As Edward sat down he pulled me down to sit on his lap with him. I let out a light giggle as I plopped down on his jean clad lap and sighed as I finally had the chance to get a good look at him.

With the unforgiving light of the sun finally shining on him I saw a small bruise forming on his jaw from the match last night. Edward had gotten cocky and left his chin up for a split second.

"You can't get cocky like that." I heard myself blurt out as I ran my fingertips over the bruise as gently as I could. Edward didn't even flinch. He simply leaned into my touch and smiled contently.

"I try not to. Emmett's a good guy and all but I should have known better." Edward sounded a bit disappointed as he chugged the full glass of orange juice.

"He definitely brought me back down to earth with that punch." he snorted gently and palmed the slightly bruised flesh.

"Literally." I laughed lightly with him.

"What does it feel like up there?"

"What does what feel like?" he asked bringing a bruised knuckle up to touch my cheek.

"Being up in that ring," I whispered so low I thought he might not have heard me. "It must be…_terrifying_." I felt myself shutter at my own words.

"It is," Edward nodded with a small but sad smile on his lips. "But it's also exciting and thrilling. I don't think I'll ever get tired of being up there." he said looking out into the distance.

"Don't you ever get scared?" I didn't want the question to come out but my brain filter just didn't want to work today.

"Of course I do," Edward's eyes were still staring off into space but I could tell he was serious. "I'm forced into a ring everyday to fight someone I know nothing about. They could swing a punch so hard that it shatter's my spinal cord or sends me into a coma…but I still do it." his gaze shifted back to me.

"Sometimes you have to take some really hard blows to get where you want to be in life." he whispered flatly as he spoke.

"And this is always where you wanted to be in life?" I questioned hesitantly.

He was silent after that, his sad eyes shifting away from me while his jaw tensed. My whole body went ridged when I felt his arms tighten around me, almost as if he needed something to grip onto, while my stomach made an audible growl for food. I groaned in embarrassment and felt my face turn fifty shades of red.

Edward's eyes soften almost instantly as he let out a small laugh and loosened his grip on me slightly so I was a bit more comfortable.

"Enough work talk," Edward chuckled at the sound of my stomach's ravenous cry for food. "Let's get some food in the both of us. This looks great and I'm starving!"

"Sex will do that to you," I grumbled under my breath, mentally slapping myself.

Stupid brain filter malfunction.

"Yeah," I heard Edward chuckle beside me.

I tried for a minute to wiggle my way off his lap as he began to eat but he just pulled me back down with his free hand. He didn't even look at me as he did so. Just kept on eating with a stupid little grin on his face.

I shook my head and picked up the fork on my plate and began stuffing my face. Edward finished before I did and chugged _my_ orange juice in the matter of seconds. He seemed pretty content just watching me eat and toying with my ponytail as he just sat there.

It was undoubtedly strange. Not in any way awkward…but just out of the ordinary for me.

None of my previous relationships had ever gone this well even after months and months of being with a guy, while Edward and I had only known each other personally for a couple of days.

"Edward?" I spoke gently as I took a small bite of my toast and sat back to stare at him. He simply smiled up at me with those beautiful and gentle eyes of his.

"Yeah, baby?"

_Baby? Eeep!, _All three of the hussies swooned in unison.

"I-I was just wondering…" I trailed off and stared down at our interlocked hands.

"What is it, Bella?" Edward's tone was becoming more and more worried by the second.

"What am I to you?" I just spat it out. I couldn't bare to have him worried or upset.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked a bit confused. He seemed just as confused as I was.

"Well," I took a breath. "We have only known each other for a couple of days and we are already so…close? Are you alright with this?" I motioned my index finger back and forth between us. I was pleading to god that he would say he was okay with this and that I was just being silly.

"Bella, is that what you're so worried about?" Edward asked, gently taking my face into his hands. I could feel my face turning red all over again.

"Edward, we've only known each other for a few days! Most guys would have just asked me to leave or freaked out when I asked you to…" I stopped, trying to make my face stop from turning any brighter shades of red.

"Make love to you?" his voice was so soft. My eyes darted back up to his in surprise to see his beautiful smile beaming back at me.

"I agree with you. Most guys would have asked you to leave or would have been quite frightened at the thought of making love to a beautiful woman such as yourself," the shallow feeling of my heart sinking kicked in instantly at his words. All the blood from my face drained completely. I placed my eyes back down on my lap.

"But I think you'll find that I am most definitely," he leaned forward to place the gentlest kiss on my lips, "Not most guys, Bella."

I could practically hear the smile in his voice. I looked back into those wonderful eyes and smiled back at him.

"Thank you," I whispered gently, pressing my forehead to his.

"Bella?" Edward's voice broke me from my happy thoughts of us together.

"Hmm?" I hummed.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" I could see his lips twitching as he tried to contain his laughter, so I let it out for him.

We were both practically crying by the time we finished our fit of laughter. I cleared my throat and smiled at him before kissing his lips gently and nodding.

"Si, Edward. Io sarò la tua ragazza." I agreed to his request in our own little secret language. I mean it wasn't ours to be secret but to anyone who didn't know Italian, it was.

Edward let out a small laugh and sighed in content.

"Meraviglioso." he whispered back with nothing but joy filling his tone.

I think I was falling for Edward Masen even harder then we both had ever anticipated.

**Translatation: "Yes, Edward. I will be your girlfriend."**

**Thank you all for reading! Reviews are awesome! Next update…a couple of weeks. Heading back to school soon****L**

**Reviews are awesome, once again! Can't say it enough! Love you all! Till next time!**

**-fighter**


	10. Chapter 10: Gran Hits Harder Than You!

**Something Worth Fighting For  
****Chapter 10: My Grandmother Can Hit Harder Than You!  
****  
Isabella Swan  
**

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**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long but as some of you might know, I'm working on another story as well as this one but the other one will be finished soon so this one will be right at the top of my hit list! Ontop of everything as well, I'm pregnant again with my second child so things are very hectic right now!**

**So I'm not going to keep you guys in suspense any longer! I know you've been waiting for this!**

**Let's do this!  
**

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"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" Edward asked as I relished the last moments of being in his arms.

Edward had let me use his shower to wipe off the remnants of last night off my body and told me I could borrow something of Alice's so that way the paparazzi didn't hound me when I walked out by myself. Not to mention we still hadn't found Rosalie's poor dress. I think Edward was secretly keeping it or something but I didn't contemplate that too much.

Edward had mentioned that Alice certainly wouldn't miss it if it was here at his place. It felt strange but I finally gave in decided on taking an old Beatles tee shirt that looked worn and probably no use to her any longer. I also took a pair of dark jeans that she probably bought a couple of sizes too big on accident since they fit me perfectly and some old black flip flops that probably cost ten bucks at Old Navy. Nothing of importance.

I had blow dried my hair and let it hang down my back because Edward had told me he preferred it down like that. I didn't bother with make up I didn't really have any on me and what was the point really? I already looked like a bum. Edward had handed me a pair of huge, black, bug eye sun glasses, making me phased for a moment.

He said just incase the paparazzi had gotten any good photos of me, they wouldn't immediately recognize me. I probably looked totally different then I had last night but I knew that looking totally different had it's advantages. It would give me enough time to hail a cab and be on my merry way. I was sort of upset that Edward couldn't take me down to at least say goodbye to me and he had even offered more then once as I was getting ready but I knew better.

Being apart of the press, I knew how bad the press would be. They would recognize any one of the numerous cars Edward probably had and would follow us wherever we went. They would find out where I lived and then all hell would break loose. I'd probably loose my job and be flung into the spotlight Edward was constantly subject to. Not exactly my kind of relationship.

"I need to go grocery shopping for this big family dinner I have every Saturday with my cousin's and grandmother." I said waving it off as if it were nothing of importance. I could practically feel Gran's hand smacking the back of my head as we spoke.

"Oh," Edward's voice sounded sad. I knew he didn't train on weekends and Alice was probably up to something a teenager would want to do so he would be…alone. The thought of it broke my heart into a million tiny pieces.

"I hope you have fun." his smile for me didn't reach his eyes. Edward's family wasn't a family. He was basically Alice's mother, father, best friend and brother. But who did Edward have to be there for him?

_Not his whack ass mother, that's for damn sure_. My subconscious despised that poor woman, but then again how could you blame the bitch? Her own kids disliked her.

"Would you like to come?" I asked biting down on my lower lip gently. Edward's gaze snapped back to mine as he beamed brilliantly.

"I'd love to." his tone was filled with relief.

As much as that sigh should have mended my aching heart for him, I knew why he did it. Edward had been alone in this world for such a long time, but I was going to make sure that never happened again.

"Alright then. Meet me at the street market in Little Italy in a half hour. I usually go straight to my Gran's apartment right after I get the groceries so that way you can help me get what I need." I said leaning up on my tip toes to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"I'll be there." he pressed the button for his private elevator to open for me.

"Just make sure you wear a cap and some sunglasses like these." I giggled as I placed the sunglasses on my eyes. I took my place in the back of the elevator.

"Bye." I said with a wave as the doors began to close.

"Bye, baby." I heard him say as the doors cut him off from my view.

It didn't take but a few seconds to get down to the lobby, but every moment I spent away from Edward felt like and eternity now. I sighed, trying to get the thought of Edward's sad eyes out of my mind and straightened myself out.

This was definitely _not _the walk of shame right? I mean I wasn't wearing the same clothes as last night but I certainly felt like I was full of shame.

Well, maybe not exactly the walk of shame. Maybe more like the walk of terrible embarrassment.

As I tried to fight my way through the enormous crowd of paparazzi outside, waiting for Edward Masen's new girl to emerge and take her walk of shame. Too bad they missed it.

I had been pushed and shoved a little here and there but Edward was right. They didn't recognize me at all. The hair down, a pair of sunglasses and a new change of clothes sent them right off my trail. It was awesome knowing I could get away with this. Knowing I wouldn't lose my job or put my family in danger. With paparazzi you never knew what to expect and I wasn't going to put my seventy-five year old grandmother or my eight year old cousin through that.

I caught a cab easily and asked him to take me down to the street market in Little Italy. It took about twenty minutes with traffic since it was the middle of the day and in the heart of Manhattan just to get to Little Italy.

As soon as I paid the cabbie I didn't hesitate to walk the extra three blocks towards the market. It would only take ten to fifteen minutes and I certainly wasn't going to waste another thirty dollars on that cab when I could just walk through my favorite part of New York without hesitation.

I loved everything about Little Italy so it didn't bother me one bit. I watched as women up in their apartments hung their laundry on the community lines they hung from each other's terraces and windows. I smiled as I noticed small children running around on their bikes playing hopscotch. Those were the best days.

As I finally made my way towards the market, I could smell the wonderful scents of basil and sun dried tomatoes along with pasta and every meat you could dream of. I could already see my poor grandmother slaving over her large pot of Fettuccini y Bolognese sauce all day long. It had been my favorite since I was a little girl.

As soon as I made my way into the rather small crowd compared to what it usually was, I mentally started to go through what Gran had told me to get a few days before. Fifteen pounds of ground, Italian beef, three pounds of fresh roman tomatoes-no bruises-a large jar of basil, three bags of uncooked fettuccini, a large jar of fresh tomato paste, a couple of loafs of French bread and a three pints of olive oil. I knew starting out with produce would probably be the toughest part of my whole trip here so I decided I might as well get it over with. Grabbing a couple of plastic shopping bags I dug right in. I had to push and shove and take people flipping me off every ten minutes as I tried to examine every tomato I could. Gran would chew my head off if I brought her back a bruised tomato and I didn't want Edward to hear any of that tonight.

As I bent over to grab what looked like the perfect tomato I felt a hand clap against my ass, causing the inner tomboy to leap out. I turned around to flip off the teenage boy on a skate board who had grabbed my ass before screaming out a line of profanities at him.

"_A vite stronzo! Afferrare tua madre come quello_, huh?" I growled before he rolled off laughing and I went back to the tomatoes.

I chuckled to myself at the little jerks antics and cooled off before realizing I probably needed to find Edward. He was probably already here and trying to lay low, but I just needed a few more tomatoes.

As I grabbed the last few tomatoes I needed I heard the voice I had been longing for the past half hour.

"_Caio mia Bella_."

Edward's voice was low as his arms wrapped around my waist. I spun around as quickly as I could, almost dropping every single tomato I had just gathered. Luckily Edward was there to catch me and grabbed a bag from me with ease.

"Careful, love," Edward cautioned humorously. He pulled me out of the lynch mob that surrounded the produce and into the little Deli still filled with people but much less then any produce aisle.

As I finally got the chance to take all of Edward in, I noticed he was wearing a Red Socks Cap with a pair of what looked like very expensive, polarized Oakley's and a sweatshirt from Carlisle's old gym along with a simple pair of jeans. We were comfortable and no one knew who we were as we walked towards the Deli hand in hand. It was bliss.

"What can I get you two?" the burly but polite butcher asked us as our turn came up in line, a cigarette hanging from his lips limply.

"Fifteen pounds of ground Italian beef, please." I smiled up at the man briefly before Edward almost choked on his own oxygen.

"Fifteen pounds?" he was stunned at how much three grown men, an eight year old boy and two grown women could eat. Not to mention the two huge pro boxers that were going to show up unexpectedly to the party.

Then there was Rose. Who could eat like a guy and probably lose weight doing it. Bitch.

"You'll see," I chuckled.

I gently squeezed Edward's hand while we waited for the butcher who seemed totally un-phased by my order.

"This place is wonderful." Edward whispered from beside me. I looked up to see Edward looking around the market as if he were a child set free in Toys-R-Us.

"You've never been here to Little Italy?" I asked a little bit confused. He had lived in New York for over five years and he hadn't been to what had to be one of the top five places n New York.

Edward's lips twisted into a sad smile but thanks to the sun glasses he wore, I couldn't see his probably tortured eyes.

"I never really left Jersey when I was younger," Edward started but kept his eyes away from me and wandering around the market. "Taking care of Alice was a full time job since my dad worked most of the time and my mom," he cleared his throat. I could feel ever muscle in his body tense up at the slight mention of her.

"And my mom was always kind of out of it. There were even times I had to take care of her too." he shook his head, his lips forming into a tight line.

I squeezed his hand tighter and leaned forward to press my lips against his shoulder. Edward let out a large sigh as soon as we made contact and leaned down to press his lips to my hair.

"Tell me more." I pleaded with him. His grip on my fingers tightened for a moment but relaxed after a moment. He didn't want to tell me.

"What do you want to know?"

He didn't want to tell me. But he would, anyways. I didn't understand why but I think somewhere in the back of my mind I knew. I just didn't want to think about it right then and there.

"Everything." I smiled up at him with all the warmth and support I could muster. I needed to get him to see that no matter what I was here and I wasn't leaving anytime soon.

Edward let out a heavy breath full of burden and ran a large hand over his face.

"Everything is a lot." he nodded grimly, his face looking forward. Away from me. With the sunglasses on it just looked like he was staring into nothingness.

"Hey," I placed a hand on his cheek and pulled his face back to mine. His lips were so tight. "I'm not going anywhere, Superman. Okay?" Edward let out a loud laugh.

"Superman?"

"Yeah," I smiled at his happy grin. I much preferred that over his sad eyes. "Superman was so strong and did so much good for everyone," I ran my fingertips over his jaw. "But no one ever understood that on the inside he had to deal with so much. The weight of the world, practically."

"Well then," Edward sighed, a sad smile playing upon those beautiful lips. "If I'm Superman, you're Lois Lane."

I had to chuckle at that. It was quite befitting actually. Lois Lane not only admired Superman for everything he could do, but loved him more than anything in the world. Let's not forget she could also kick some major ass if she needed to.

We can't always depend on Superman, right?

_Damn straight!, _the denim devil snorted. The other two rolled their eyes at her as if she were crazy and stared at Edward like he could save them any day.

After a moment Edward let out what had to be his fifth large breath of air and spoke in a quiet tone.

"Growing up on the side of Jersey I did wasn't exactly the best place to grow up," Edward pulled me against his side tighter than I had ever felt. This was painful for him. "Like I said before, I had to take care of not only one child but two sometimes." he snorted in disgust but cleared his throat before continuing.

"Then on top of it all, I was just a kid myself. I didn't complain, though. There was no point. If I didn't take care of Alice, she would've wound up pregnant or on the streets by now." I felt him shutter beside me.

"If I didn't take care of my mother…" Edward paused for a split second. "If I didn't take care of her, she would probably be dead. Or worse," I thought for a moment what could possibly be worse then death.

"I remember getting really mad at her one time because she was sick from something," his eyes darted down to examine my face for a moment but went back to his story instantly.

What was that about?

"Anyways, she was sick. Like rolling in her own vomit sick. I was so mad because her being sick made me miss practice with Carlisle. I remember thinking I should have just left her in her own mess. Left her for dead, even. It would have been easier." his tone was lethal as he spoke. It wasn't his story that scared me, it was the way he spoke.

I could understand what he went through. He didn't want to have to deal with his mother, and no one could blame him if they met her.

"I'm sorry," Edward's voice was so sad as he loosened his grip on me. As if I would run from him. "I shouldn't have told you this."

"No!" I said a bit too loudly. No one really paid any attention to us, though. "Y-you can keep going if you want." I tried not to sound too desperate. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Alright." Edward smiled down at me after my little bit of reassurance.

"It was really hard for me to juggle everything. I had to deal with practically raising Alice; listening to her troubles, feeding and clothing her, making sure she slept and ate enough. I had to put up with school and making sure I kept my grades up. That was one of Carlisle's incentives. Stay in school, keep your grades up and you can come to my gym for free." he chuckled at the thought. I smiled at how he lit up just speaking Carlisle's name.

"And if that wasn't enough," Edward sighed heavily. "I had to deal with practicing with Carlisle every day right after school and after that a part-time job." his body seemed to get tired just thinking about it. I know mine was.

It was so much on Edward's shoulders and at such a young age. I almost felt guilty for complaining about my youth sometimes. Divorced parents was a cake walk compared to Edward's childhood.

"Carlisle saw how tired I was most of the time and offered me something I couldn't refuse." his grip on me was back as he pulled me back to him. "Carlisle saw how dedicated and…_good_ I was at boxing. He knew I could do some damage to any opponent put up against me and soon he entered me into brawls,

"It was easy money for me. Fifty dollar entrance fee and then two grand per fight. Only if you won, though. Loser just left with whatever broken bits had fallen on the floor." Edward snorted.

"Two thousand dollars? Per fight? How many did you do?" I asked in an almost horrified tone. Edward just laughed and shook his head.

"A couple fights a month, maybe." he shrugged. "It was enough to let me quit the odd jobs I had picked up before boxing and even put some money away for Alice's college stuff if she decided she wanted to go somewhere and get a degree. I wasn't going to push her. It would have been hypocritical on my part." his voice was sad.

I knew Edward hadn't attended college but I never knew why. Couldn't he manage a boxing career and school if he could manage everything else? It couldn't have been too hard for him, right? I decided to let that thought die and not bring it up.

"As I got older the money got better. I was making up to twenty thousand a match by the time I was eighteen. Then one night, at a huge match, I met Irina." the name sounded familiar to me, but I didn't exactly know where I could have heard it before.

"She became in control of my advertising and basically my manager and publicist all at the same time. The next thing you know I'm fighting against some of the biggest names in the game." he sounded so casual about it all.

Little did he know that I had watched about every single match he had fought until going up against those big dogs. I wondered what he would think if he knew.

"Hey lady!" I heard the butcher call from behind his large, white cart. "Your order's up." the large man said handing me two bags of the paper rolled meat. I paid and eagerly began pulling Edward out of the crowd there in the Deli.

Edward helped me carry the meat without even breaking a sweat. I dragged him along side me as we gathered the rest of the things I needed for tonight. Edward was surprised at how much I bought and even offered to pay for some of it, but I was totally against that. I supported myself and was only asked to do this once every month. I was fine with paying.

"We got everything?" Edward asked as I began to lead him towards

"Oh yeah. Gran and the boys should be happy."

"Boys?" Edwards voice became wary almost instantly. I felt my heart sink to my knees.

Edward had just told me about his entire childhood, crappy parts and all and here I was standing like an idiot. I hadn't even offered up a little bit about myself when he had just poured his own heart out to me.

"Yeah. I'm the only girl and all my cousin's that live here in the area are men." I rolled my eyes. "My oldest cousin Marcus is twenty nine and his son Demetri is eight. He adores you by the way." I beamed up at him gently. Edward seamed to relax a little as I elaborated on my family.

"I love kids," he whispered under his breath. I don't think he meant for me to hear it but I did. It made my smile only grow wider.

"Then there is Caius and his wife, Athenodora. They just got married last summer and are totally smitten over each other. Try not to stare at them too often because they are just constantly sucking face." that made Edward laugh.

"Any more?" Edward asked sarcastically. He had no idea, though.

"Yep. Marcus and Caius are twins. They look nothing alike but they are. Totally different personalities too." that was the understatement of the century. "Their youngest brother is Aro and his wife Sulpicia. Aro is a few years older than me. He's twenty five. Don't pay much attention to him though. Out of the three, he is the black sheep." I remembered Aro's cool demeanor towards anyone who resided on this earth as I spoke.

Aro never used to come to family dinner's but Sulpicia sort of forced him into since she found out she was pregnant. She said the baby deserved a family that loved it and she was right. We would love that baby. No matter how terrible Aro was towards his own family. Sulpicia was a nice woman, yes, but she was just as cold as Aro sometimes. Made for each other, those two.

"How so?" Edward referred to Aro as we rounded the corner towards Gran's apartment complex.

"He's a lawyer." I smiled slightly as I thought about the pride my grandmother held in her eyes every time she spoke about Aro's job at a prestigious New York Law firm.

"Aro is just a very dry person, I guess. Doesn't like to socialize or anything like that. In my family that's all we do." I looked up to see Edward's sunglasses staring back at me.

"He's doing a bit better, though. Sulpicia just found out she's pregnant a couple of months ago and he's really trying to get back into things with the family." I nodded firmly. No matter how much I wished Aro would get better, I knew he would eventually pull away once more. And I knew that would hurt more than anything. So naturally I wished Aro would just stay away.

"Here we are." I beamed up at Edward as he looked over the Chicago brick covered apartment complex. The familiar look of laundry lines and little flowers poking out from window seals made me smile ear to ear. I guessed that Aro and Rosalie weren't here yet since their cars weren't parked in their usual spot, making my mind and body become a bit more at ease.

The more time Edward had to adjust to Gran's home, the easier it would be for him when he had to meet the rest of my family. Luckily, he already knew Rose a little from last night and even Emmett, so he wouldn't be totally in the dark.

"I used to love sitting on these stairs when I was younger." I said as we began climbing the five flights of iron stairs up to Gran's apartment.

"You visited your grandmother often?" Edward didn't sound the slightest bit winded as we trekked our way up the seemingly endless flights of steps.

"Not really," I was trying to talk through my heavy pants for air. "I'm not from New York originally, but I would come for a couple of weeks during summer."

"Where did you live before you came to New York?" Edward asked curious. I was dying over here with all the bags of groceries in my arms and trying to lug my body up the steps.

"I lived in a rainy little town called Forks in Washington until my parents decided to split up. After that I moved to Phoenix with my mom after all the custody battle stuff. I still had to go back to Forks during the summers, though. That kind of put a hindrance on me coming to visit Gran as often I would've liked." I said as we finally reached the floor. I silently cursed Gran for choosing the apartment at the farthest end of the hall. My legs were about to fall off.

"You had to go through that? Picking between your parents?" Edward tone was horrified but I just chuckled. His childhood had been so much worse then mine had ever been and he felt bad for me?

"Yeah, but it's nothing really. I got over it and eventually I got into the groove of things. Seeing Charlie on Christmas, Thanksgiving and during the summer and then going to school in Phoenix. It wasn't terrible." I said trying not to remember how bad it was when my parents split. How hard it was to choose between them both.

"But it had to be hard for you. How old were you when they decided-"

"Fifteen." I cut him off curtly. I didn't want to talk about this when we were about to see Gran. She wasn't exactly partial to this subject either.

"This is it." I smiled up at him as I stopped in front of Gran's door and rang her buzzer. Edward looked excited to be there and for that I became just as excited as he was.

"Do you think they'll like me?" Edward's voice was sturdy, not shaky at all, but his face told a totally different story.

"They will all love you, Edward." I said leaning up on my toes to kiss his cheek. "Trust me."

As we stood there, hands interlocked as best they could be with at least ten pounds worth of groceries in them, I heard the several locks on the heavy door to my Gran's apartment unbolt at a steady pace before the door finally opened.

Gran's familiar brown eyes stared back at me with as much warmth and welcome as she would for anyone who entered her home. Her peppered grey and white strands were pulled back into her usual slick and very tight bun at the back of her head while she wiped her hands on the blue and white checkered apron wrapped around her tiny waist.

"Bella! Ciao cara mia!" Gran cooed lovingly as she easily wrapped me in her warm embrace.

"Ciao Gran." I kissed both her cheeks before pulling back. As soon as I had taken my place back beside Edward Gran became acutely aware of Edward's rather large presence.

"Bella," Gran narrowed her eyes towards Edward.

She was assessing him the only way she knew how. Strict judgments of appearance.

"Who's this?" her voice was deadpan as she jerk her chin towards Edward. I couldn't help but giggle. Edward didn't seemed even a little bit phased, though.

"Gran I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend," I placed my hand back in Edward's as I smiled up at him reassuringly. He had already pulled off his cap and sunglasses in respect for my grandmother.

Such chivalry.

"This is Edward."

"Boyfriend?" Gran's voice came back to life in an instant. "Oh! Fantastico! Come in, come in!" she cooed, ushering us into the small apartment.

Edward smiled and gripped my hand tightly in his as we walked inside. I couldn't help but giggle at the look of Edward's tall, perfectly built body taking up so much room in Gran's tiny apartment. Edward began to speak with Gran in Italian while I went into the kitchen to drop off the groceries.

As soon as I entered the small kitchen I groaned. The scent of Gran's famous pesto sauce was overwhelming as soon as you took a breath. I couldn't help it as I rushed over to taste some of the red heaven, lifting the large ladle out of the iron pot and placing it to my lips. I didn't care that it was scolding hot. I just loved it.

"Well, you are welcome to come here anytime-" I heard Gran as she entered the kitchen..

I didn't even need to look up to see she was glaring at me.

"I'm sorry," I grumbled through my full mouth, my eyes wide with pleading as I turned to face the two of them. "It just smelled so good and-"

"Get out of my kitchen!" Gran shrieked, swatting at my ass harder than usual.

"Ouch! Gran!" I yelped and let the ladle plop down back into the pot.

"Out! Out, out, out!" she barked again before turning on her heels to grumble some more about how I had ruined her perfect pesto.

"She's pretty awesome," Edward's familiar voice came from behind me.

"Oh my god!" I breathed, clutching my chest as Edward and I stood in the hall outside the kitchen.

Edward smiled brightly, a low chuckle erupting from his chest.

"H-how did you get behind me so fast?" I stuttered, still slightly in shock.

Edward's smile only widened, his lips twisting up beautifully before stepping so close to me my entire body was engulfed in his long, lean muscles. He was everywhere. Everything and I honestly didn't mind. Long, graceful fingers reached up slowly, pressing against my cheek gently as emerald green orbs burned into mine.

"The don't call me _Mute Masen _for nothin'," Edward whispered playfully, his lips only inches from mine.

I chuckled lightly, my hands reaching up his tight limbs to tangle my fingers into his hair.

"They call you a lot of things, Edward," I giggled, shaking my head.

It was true. Edward was a silent, speedy and completely lethal weapon. People called him so many names it wasn't even realistic to try and remember them all. None of them really stuck anyways.

"Really?" Edward nipped at my lips gently, making me giggle even more.

I opened my mouth to say something when I heard the front door open and the sound of little feet rush through the hall.

"Tia Bella!" Demetri's shrill screams came from beside me, making me shove Edward off instantly.

I cleared my throat and beamed down at the little man running my way.

"How's my number one champ?" I laughed as a tiny set of arms wrapped around my neck.

"Tia Bella, guess what Daddy taught me today?" Demetri asked excitedly.

I laughed and swung him a bit in my arms, his focus right on me as I pulled back to stare at him. His large, blue eyes were bright with love and compassion while his beautiful little, light brown curls hung low in his face.

"What'd you learn today, Champ?" I asked, setting him down and placing my hands on my knees so I was eye level with him.

"Triple combo!" he squealed in delight.

I widened my eyes dramatically and raised my hands up so he could reach them. Demetri lifted his just as he was taught, in ready position, and started bounding back and forth on his feet.

"Keep your arms strong," I smacked his tiny arms to make sure they weren't spaghetti arms. "Keep you shoulders low and your hands in front of your face. Just like your dad told you."

Demetri nodded, a large smile on his little lips, and sprung.

"Pop, pop, bang!" Demetri said under his breath.

"Keep 'em up, D!" I laughed, smacking his head playfully. "Keep those hands up."

A soft laugh came form beside us, making Demetri hunch against me instantly. I only smiled and lifted the eight year old onto my hip since he wasn't all that big compared to other kids. The kid was half the size of most his age but could fight better than any street brawler.

"D," I whispered into his ear as Edward came into view. A low gasp of awe came from my small cousin. "I'd like you to meet-"

"EDWARD MASEN!" Demetri squealed and wiggled out of my arms to lurch into Edward's. "Ohmygoshyou'reEdwardMasen!"

Edward just laughed lightly, enjoying the attention a bit too much. He shifted Demetri on his hip naturally and nodded.

"Hey, Little Man," Edward shook his hand as best he could with the kid in his arms. "You got some great moves there."

Demetri lit up lighter than the sun at that one.

"You really think so?" he breathed lightly. "I go to my dad's gym every day after school and he teaches me everything he knows!"

Edward gasped, ohh-ed and aww-ed over my Demetri before getting into a bit more serious conversation.

"So you wanna be a boxer?" he asked sternly.

Demetri bobbled his head, "Just like you!"

Edward nodded.

"Well that's good Demetri. And you can do it if you work really hard, but you also need to focus on school, Bud."

Demetri's face matched Edward's as he paid more attention to my boyfriend than he ever had to me, his own blood.

"I do, Mr. Masen!" Demetri reassured him. "Dad makes me finish all my homework before I get into the ring."

Edward smiled this time, almost proud of this little boy he had only known for a short while.

"That's awesome, Demetri. I'm sure you'll be a great fighter!"

Demetri and Edward chatted a bit more about the rules and things that had to deal with boxing before another set of loud footsteps entered the room. A couple of sets actually.

"Bella!" a taunting voice that could only belong to Caius came from the end of the hell.

"Oh Bellsy!" Marcus coaxed this time.

I instantly rushed behind Edward's large form, knowing the guys would instantly forget whatever attack they were planning against me the moment they saw my new boyfriend.

"Bella! Come out, come out wherever you-" Marcus's taunting voice lingered through the air but cut off the moment he saw who was holding his son.

"Oh my god…" Marcus paused as Caius now rounded the corner, holding a creepy looking clown mask over his face.

"JESUS!" I screeched in horror.

Caius and Marcus both knew exactly how much fear I held for clowns and yet they persisted with forcing the damn things on me constantly. Ciaus froze beside Marucs when he heard Edward's voice.

"You okay?" Edward asked, shifting Demetri on his hip and reaching out to touch me.

"Yeah," I grit out as my body locked up on me. "I just hate fucking clowns!"

Marcus cut Edward off before he could even open his mouth.

"Y-y-you're E-Edward M-M-M-Masen!" Marcus sputtered out as Edward laughed and handed a sulking demetri over to me.

The poor kid wanted to spend more time with his own superhero.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Caius squealed, leaping forward first, followed by his brother.

"You're my idol!" Marcus beamed up at him.

"No! He's mine!" Caius fought back.

"No way, bro! Have you seen every single fight like I have? He's totally mine!"

"Shut the fuck up! I'm the one who told you about him!"

"At least I don't try to mock his fighting style!"

"I'm better at boxing then you'll ever be!"

"Guys!" I finally cut in, patting Demetri on the head and walking over to slink my arms around my boyfriend's waist.

Edward was trying his hardest not to break out into a fit of giggles at my cousin's horribly rude behavior. Caius and Marcus both looked at the way Edward and I clung together and quirked up an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry to tell you this," I chuckled as Edward laughed in the safety of my hair. "But Edward Masen is one hundred percent _mine_."

Caius was the first to speak up as Marcus froze, his jaw hanging slack in shock. My blonde haired cousin wagged his finger between us suggestively.

"What's going on here?" he placed a hand on his hip.

I shrugged, Edward laughing even harder now.

"Marcus, Caius," I cleared my throat and nudged Edward to stand straight. He did and held me closer to him. "I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Edward Masen. Number three lightweight boxer in the world."

Marcus was already bounding, complete out of his coma state, and squealing like a girl when Gran walked in with Aro and his wife at her side.

"What's with all the screaming?" Gran scolded, wiping her hands on her apron. "It's rude to scream in the house!"

"Yeah, what's up?" Aro asked flatly, biting into an apple Gran had probably given him.

"Edward Masen!" Demetri called happily and lurched himself at my boyfriend.

Edward happily lifted the kid right back into his arms.

Aro cocked a sharp, sarcastic eye brow up and shrugged as if this were the dullest part of his day.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Masen. You're Bella's new boyfriend right?" he held out his hand.

By the way he said new, it made it sound like he was trying to imply something. I had never liked Aro, even if we were family, but I had never been as cold to him as he was to everyone else. I tried to be as warm and family like as possible.

Edward shook his hand, all smiles as he did so. "Yes, I am. It's nice to meet you as well, sir. I've heard so much about all of you!"

"Hmm…" Aro contemplated and pulled his hand away sharply. "I can't say the same."

"Bella!" Sulpicia strolled past her husband elegantly as ever, her arms spread out wide, making her protruding belly look even larger against her small frame.

"Hey, Sulpicia!" I welcomed her warm embrace before kissing her on the cheek and placing my hands on her belly. "How is my little cousin doing today, huh?"

Sulpicia rolled her eyes, placing her hands on top of mine.

"Kicking up a storm!" she huffed in aggravation. "I swear, this kid is going to be the first soccer player in this family!"

"Hell no!" Marcus rebutted firmly. "He's gunna be a boxer and train at my gym with us! Right, Demetri?"

My small cousin nodded his head, his face furrowed in seriousness as he did so.

Sulpicia laughed lightly, her beautiful face glowing brightly. I had no idea how such a cold and distant person could have won over such a beautiful and charming woman such as Sulpicia. Aro leaned up against the wall, watching us with those cold, black eyes of his.

"Oh my gosh!" I jumped back, letting my hands fly up to cover my mouth. "He kicked!"

The entire family, including Edward swarmed to hover over Sulpicia, Aro standing right at his wife's side to place his hand's where mine had once been. He smiled brightly after getting another kick probably as Sulpicia stared at her husband in joy.

"Any day now." she touched Aro's face lovingly.

Aro stared back at her with as much love, if not more, as she had for him.

"Any day now," he repeated her words under her breath.

"Hey!" an obnoxious, nasally voice rang out through the crowd. "What's everyone doing all hovered around the fat lady?"

I smiled to myself before turning around to see none other than Athenodora, Caius's wife.

"Dora!" I squealed and launched myself into her already awaiting arms. She laughed and hugged me back before pulling away to look at me.

"Did you see what Caius brought?" she laughed.

I rolled my eyes and nodded into her shoudler. "It was horrifying."

"I told him you'd piss your pants as soon as he saw it, but he loves to scare you and Demetri like no body's business." she pulled back a bit to look over me. "You're looking good girl!" she assessed me with her bright grey eyes, "Have you done something to your hair?"

I scrunched my nose up in confusion. "Nope. I haven't done anything to myself but it's been a while since we've seen each other and-"

"I know what it is!" she clapped her hand loudly. "You got laid!"

The entire room went silent as all eyes turned to stare at Edward and I. I clamped my eyes shut tightly, my face burning a bright shade of crimson for sure.

"What? What's going on?" Dora asked casually.

"Dora," I cleared my throat through the embarrassment. "I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Edward Masen."

Dora's face widened in shock, whether or not it was from the fact that Edward was a huge celebrity or the fact that she had just outed my sexual life with a room full of overly protective cousins.

"Put my son on the floor," Marcus growled angrily from behind me.

"Shit!" I huffed and sprinted my way over to stand in front of Edward.

Marcus and Caius were looking about ready to kill when Gran came into the room, Rosalie and Emmett flanking either sides of her.

"We have company!"

…

Dinner with my family had gone down pretty well. After Emmett had showed up to take all the attention off of mine and Edward's sexual encounter, things died down a bit but I could tell that there was still a ton of tension resting between my cousins and my boyfriend.

What did the guys think I was? Some virgin?

I had punched my v-card in years ago. Probably before they did.

We were on our way out, after helping Gran clean up and listening to the boy's never ending chatter about babies and boxing. Two of the most prominent subject to be lingering in Gran's apartment tonight.

"When you gunna get married to a good Italian boy and give me some grand babies too?" Gran scolded, placing her hand on my flat stomach as I helped her get the dishes cleaned. "I wanna see at least a couple little babies in this house to play with Sulpicia's boy!"

My face burned, constantly red tonight, when Marcus and the guys interjected.

"Gran," he scoffed. "Leave, Bella alone. She's young and _doesn't_ need to be having kids yet."

I knew Marcus was staring at Edward the entire time but my poor boyfriend just chuckled and nodded, as if trying to brush off the comment.

"What are you talkin' 'bout?" Gran barked at him, flailing her hand around in the air. "By the time I was her age I had three babies to feed," she raised up three fingers to emphasize her point. "Not to mention I had been married almost five years!"

"But these are different times, Gran," Caius said biting into a piece of leftover lasagna. "She's still young when it comes to the whole '_having a family_' ordeal."

Gran waved them off dismissively and went back to scrubbing pots and pans while I tried to avoid contact with my boyfriend for the rest of the night.

"You better come back!" Gran demanded as she kissed Edward's cheeks gently. "I'ma makin' chicken alfredo next time!"

Edward laughed and kissed her cheeks back as well. "I promise, Mrs. Swan."

Gran smiled up at him in delight before smacking my thigh hard, making me yelp.

"He's a good one," she said clearly enough for the entire room to hear, including Edward. "Don't let him get away."

I gripped onto Edward's warm hand and nodded.

"I won't," I stared up at Edward who was also beaming down at me. "I'll call you tomorrow, Gran."

"Alright!" she called behind us as we walked out of the door. "Be careful hailing a taxi!"

"We will! I love you!"

"Love you too, _mia Bella_!"

By the time we said our goodbyes and were down the stairs, I could hear Gran locking up the door's bolts. I let out a huge sigh as Edward and I made our way out onto the side walk so he could hail a cab easily.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, his other hand that wasn't up in the air claming down onto mine.

"Huh?" I asked stupidly. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, finally getting a cab to stop and helped me in.

"You just look a bit upset, I guess." he helped me in before sliding in beside me and wrapping his massive arms around me.

I leaned into his hold, pressing my forehead against his chiseled chest. He was so warm compared to the chilly, New York breeze and I would hate leaving him tonight.

"I'm perfect," I sighed and snuggled in closer.

Edward laughed lightly as the cabbie began to drive where Edward had told him to go earlier. His apartment.

"I'm glad."

"I'm sorry if they embarrassed you," I apologized whole heartedly.

Edward shook his head, a large smile of understanding on his beautiful lips that I was just dying to kiss.

"They didn't. They are all so charming and warm. It's been a while since I've had a real family get together like that."

I nodded, not really seeing his mother as the type to hold a Saturday dinner like Gran always did.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourse-" I was cut off by passionate lips crushing onto mine and hand lingering across my sensitive flesh.

"Ungh…" I groaned into Edward's mouth as quietly as I could, as not to alert the cabbie.

"Come home with me," Edward demanded firmly. "Stay the night with me again."

I didn't even need to reply. I answered with my lips crushing onto his.

* * *

**How was it? good? i hope so! Next chapter will definetly have some...lemony goodness! yay! **

**Next chapter up in a week or so!**

**Reviews might make me work a bit faster! haha!(:**

**-fighter**


	11. Chapter 11: Get to Know Your Apponent

**Something Worth Fighting For**

**Chapter 11. Get to Know Your Apponent**

**Isabella Swan**

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**Hello to all! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I know it's early but i won't be around to give a shoutout on Turkey Day so i'm giving one now!:D**

**As some of you may or may not know, I have recently found out that I'm pregnant. Some of you may also know that I have a two year old daughter, if you read my other story or have seen my profile. I know most of you probably get pretty anxious when it comes to an updating schedual but guys i really don't have one anymore. RL is amazingly overwhelming at times and now with a full time job, a family and pregnancy hormoes, it only seems to be getting harder. I'm trying my hardest to get good chapters up at a much mroe reasonable pace but i never know when inspiration will hit me or when a craving for chocolate will! haha! But never fear, my dear readers! I never quit! This story will be finnished...eventually and i love writing it and have a serious layout for it so please don't fret! it will be finnished within the year.(:**

**So enough of the blabbering, lets get on with this shall we? How are Bella and Edward holding up? When will he get in the ring next? Hmm...?**

**Let's see...**

* * *

"Harder, baby! Harder!" Edward cried out through the thick, heavy air between us.

I rocked my hips harder against his cock, making my eyes roll into the back of my head. The way it felt when Edward was inside me was beyond the definition of sheer pleasure. It was as if every single cell inside my body had been lit on fire and then jolted to life with jumper cables. I never wanted it to end and from the look of joy on Edward's face, he didn't want it to end either.

_Get it, girl! _My inner goddess shouted in motivation.

I bit my lower lip, trying to oblige Edwards request as well as trying ot enjoy the sensation of him moving with me.

Both our bodies were covered in sweat, skin slick and sliding off each other every moment. The only leverage I had to keep me from completely sliding off of my boyfriend's perfectly chiseled body was Edward's large hands holding onto my hips while I rode him. He was sitting up against the head board of his bed, my hands gripping the right above his head to help my momentum.

"Edward," I panted, feeling sweat pouring out of every pour on my body. "I'm…so…close!"

"Not yet, baby," Edward urged, his grip on my hips tightening as he now started lifting me up and down on him. "Not yet."

I let out a strangled scream of anguish, needing my release as badly as he did. I flung my arms around his neck, dying to keep myself grounded as he asked. The coil in the pit of my stomach kept winding its way down no matter how hard I was trying to hold back.

"Almost there, Bella," Edward flipped us over so he was on top but never let our bodies disjoin.

I yelped out once again as soon as he did this, knowing if he didn't let me come soon, I never would.

His damp palms ran along the insides of my thighs, his cock completely motionless inside me. My breaths were coming out raged, my chest heaving up and down wildly as I gripped onto Edward's shoulders for dear life.

"Bella," Edward hummed, his lips tracing the shape of my nipples before darting out his warm tongue to lavish them with affection. "Hmmm. You taste so sweet."

"Unghh…" I groaned, feeling my legs begin to shake as soon as he let his fingers trace up and down my inner thighs.

"You've been so good, Bella, and I want to see you cum on my cock over and over again. Would you like that?"

My breath hitched inside my throat the moment I looked down at him. His eyes were boring up at mine as he suckled my nipple, his fingers teasing my quivering skin. I opened my mouth once more, my eyes rolling into my back of my head as I let out another moan.

Edward chuckled, sending hot vibrations from my nipple all the way through my body. My back arched up into Edward's chest while he let his hands slide up my claves and hitch onto the back of my knees, pulling my legs as far apart as they would go.

I opened my eyes once more and for good this time only to see the hottest thing ever. Edward was staring down at my pussy, his dick still motionless inside me while his tongue easily slid over his lips hungrily. He wanted me just as badly as I wanted him and I was ready for whatever he was about to dish out.

Edward leaned down, pulling his dick back so slowly it was almost painful. I let out yet another high pitched wail. Edward chuckled in my ear before nibbling on the lobe.

"You want this?" he teased, running the tip over my slits and stopping at my clint to apply a slight amount of pressure on it. "You want me to make you cum, Bella?"

"Oh God, yes!" I whispered moaned to him.

"Good," he placed the head back at my entrance, ramming it in with a low grunt. "Because I just might."

I groaned, feeling Edward's chest pressed up against mine as he began to ram into me harder than anyone ever had. Thrust after thrust, moan after moan, I could feel myself getting closer and closer.

"Edward!" I chanted his name over and over, his pelvis ramming into mine and making the most erotic skin on skin smacking noise I had ever heard. "Oh dear god! Harder! Harder! Harder!"

"You feel that, Bella?" Edward complied with my wishes easily, making the bed creak and ram into the wall behind us. My tits were bouncing up and down while my mouth hung open in anticipation.

"I'm making you feel that, Bella. No one else. You're mine."

"I'm yours," I whimpered, praying that with these words he'd let me come with him.

"All mine," he ran his hands over my breast, gently gripping onto them before letting out a feral, animalistic growl. "All. Fucking. Mine."

"Edward!" I screamed, digging my nails into his back and running them up his back.

That sent him over the edge only to be followed with me right behind.

After we both came down from our highs, panting and gasping for air in each other's arms, Edward pulled away form me, rolling onto his back and pulling me alongside him. We were still trying to catch our breaths as he held me against his side, my hand resting on his chest gently. A pair of warm lips kissed my hair until silence overtook us.

_What are you doing here? _My subconscious scolded me firmly. _You're such a slut! Having sex with a guy only after knowing him a few days!_

I countered the thought with the reasoning that we were in a relationship. He was my boyfriend as I was his girlfriend.

_Oh yeah? _The bitch inside snorted_. He hasn't announced anything official yet! He hasn't even told his family! You're his dirty little secret. Just something to fuck. _

I swallowed hard, closing my eyes as I snuggled my face into Edward's chest. My inner thoughts stung but I knew there was at least some truth to them. I had introduced Edward to my family. He didn't know everything about me but I didn't know everything about him.

It was still early.

_Exactly! _She just had to pop her head up again. _You're moving too fast! You have sex once and you're in a relationship? Come on!_

_Oh shut up! _The pink bimbo stepped forward.

"Bella?" Edward's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I looked up at him, his eyes drowning with worry. I let out a low sigh and pressed my face into the crook of his neck. A warm hand came up to touch my damp neck while his gentle kisses brushed my forehead and temple.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

I shook my head and inhaled deeply. He smelled of sex and oranges and…Edward. He was perfect and here I was; plain old Bella.

"Edward?" I sat up, pulling some blankets up along with me to cover my nude body.

Edward remained on his back, staring up at me with concerned eyes. Another hand that I loved so much came up to brush my long strands away from my shoulder and to my back so he could see my face better. He knew I would hide behind the curtain of hair I had if I could.

"Yeah?"

I swallowed before speaking, "Do you think we're moving too fast?"

Edward looked at me as I stared at the sheets bellow me. I could feel his confused stares all over me but didn't really know what to do. I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eyes.

"A little," Edward admitted in a gentle tone, sitting up in front of me. "But I know what I want, Bella. And when I want something, I don't let it go."

I snorted, shaking my head.

"So that's why you asked me to be your girlfriend? The reason you wanted to meet my family after only knowing me a couple of days? Because you didn't want me to '_get away'_?"

Edward looked at me once again, his face serene as he took one of my hands in his.

"No," he shook his head and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on my neck. "I asked you to be my girlfriend because I really like you, Bella. I asked you to be mine because form the moment I saw you at that interview, I knew you would challenge me. You would push me and yet care about me as much as I do for you," his eyes stared into mine with such care that I couldn't help but feel even the slightest bit of hostility I had felt towards him before melt away.

"As for your family," he continued. "I wanted to meet them because I wanted to see where you came from. Because whatever made you the woman you are today had to be a great place to be and it was," he laughed lightly with me.

His forehead pressed against mine, making me let out a soft sigh of relief.

"I just don't want this," I motioned my hand between him and I. "To mess you up, Edward. I don't want to be you're dirty little secret that no one knows about."

Edward snorted darkly, something obviously not sitting well with him.

"You wouldn't be my first dirty little secret, Bella. Trust me."

"What do you mean?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." he smiled, placing the sweetest kiss on my lips before dragging me down back onto the bed to lay with him.

After a short and very sweet make out session we started began talking. Not the kind of mindless chatter would carry on with Rosalie but the actual conversation you would hope to have with someone. We started getting to know each other, laughing and giggling like kids would.

"Okay, okay!" I breathed heavily. "I give! Uncle! Uncle!"

"You better give!" Edward chuckled form above me, his devil fingers removing form my ribs. "Because if you didn't I might just have had to tickle you some more."

"No!" I pleaded through a laugh. "Please don't!"

"I won't," he held up his hands. "I promise."

"Mhmm," I smiled lazily. "Alright so, what's your favorite color?"

"Favorite color?" Edward rolled onto his side so he was looking at me. I did the same. "That's a hard one."

"Why?"

"Because it changes far too frequently."

"Me too."

"Really?"

"No," I teased, making Edward laugh. "I definitely have a favorite color."

"What is it then?"

"Blue. Definitely blue." I nodded firmly.

"Why is that?" Edward asked.

"Because," I sighed dreamily. "It's the color of the sky when there is not a cloud in sight and the color of the oceans of Hawaii. It's a color that's always made me happy."

"Hmmm," Edward beamed at me. "Good answer."

"You think?"

"Yeah. Very convincing. I think you just may have made blue my new favorite color."

"Success!" I giggled, lifting my hands into the air for a fist pump.

Edward busted out laughing his eyes watering slightly as he tried to regain his composure and breathing pattern.

"What?" I chuckled. "You've never seen anyone fist pump before? I thought you were from Jersey, sir!"

"I am," he slurred out in his thick accent. "But the people usually fist pumping out there are the douche bags and punks who look like tatted up pumkins. Not my girlfriend."

He pulled me to him swiftly so that my body was pressed against his chest so tightly that our breathing and heart beats became one.

"Oh so you fist pumped a lot?" I joked.

"Oh!" Edward chuckled. "Someone's got jokes, I see?"

I shrugged, winking up at him.

"What'cha gunna do about it?"

Edward rolled his eyes playfully before pecking my lips.

"My turn."

"For what?" I asked.

"To ask the questions."

"I only asked one," I said flatly.

"Then I'll only ask one."

I quirked an eyebrow up at him, eyes narrowed in waiting.

"Alright," I nodded. "Shoot."

"What's your favorite song?"

I groaned and leaned my head against his chest.

"And you accuse my questions of being difficult!"

Edward shrugged and nudged me gently to answer. I took a second to think about it, knowing this was a very, very difficult question for me. My iPod was filled with music that I had loved. I never put a song on my iPod that I simply liked. I only paid for crap I actually loved so I very frequently had classics listed on my iPod and some more modern stuff too.

"Well, I can't really narrow it down to songs," I explained, sitting up once more. "But I can tell you my top three favorite bands."

"Much easier," he accepted the answer. "What are they?"

"Three way tie," I chuckled, picturing the bands in my head as listed.

"Between?"

"The White Stripes,"

"Good one," Edward agreed.

"Thank you," I smiled, continuing. "The Killers,"

Edward snorted at that one but I just held up my hand to stop him. The Killers were one of my favorite bands no matter what anyone said. I didn't care.

"And last but not least, Notorious B.I.G."

"He's not a band, Bella," Edward chuckled.

I rolled my eyes, "I know that. He's just top three of all time. You can never go wrong with Biggy."

"True, true." Edward laughed. "You have some great musical tastes. For a girl."

He was teasing, I knew it, but I needed some retaliation.

"This girl could whip your ass when it comes to music."

"Really?" he asked, intrigued by the accusation.

"Really."

"Well," Edward rolled on top of me, holding my hands over my head with nothing between our bodies but a thin sheet. "We'll just have to test your theory."

"And how will we do that, Mr. Masen?" I cocked an eyebrow up at him.

He took in a deep breath and sighed, shrugging.

"We'll just have to test my collection of music."

After throwing on some easy to find clothes - Edward in nothing but jeans while I wore his tee shirt and my underwear - we made our way down the hall and up the stairs that were sneakily hidden behind the wall that led into the kitchen.

Edward surprised me by opening one of the first doors we encountered and flipping on a light with ease. Before us was a wide room at lease three fourths the size of a foot ball field and probably taking up most of the upper apartment area. The hard wood floors were perfectly lined with each board framing the perfect crown molding that fell along the trim of the burgundy painted walls.

In the middle of the wide, spacious room laid a mahogany colored baby grand, shining brightly in the yellow hued lights above. It matched almost identically to the one in the living room down stairs but there was something different about this one. The one downstairs was much less used. This one, even if it glowed, was worn and obviously played on a daily basis.

Edward took his hand away from mine, smiling at me over his shoulder and strolling over to it easily. He sat down with such a grace that it was almost moving. With fingers displayed in a shapely manner, he began a very familiar tune to me.

The dark melody moved my soul, bringing up memories of my youth spent in ballet studios during summers and after school. If it weren't for my ballet training it was my mother's. After having a prima ballerina for a mother it was almost expected of me to do the same.

It wasn't what I wanted, to do ballet professionally, so I focused everything I had into becoming what I wanted and not my mother's ideal profession. No matter how desperately I may have wanted to get away form Ballet, seventeen years of training and watching would always be engrained into my mind, body and soul.

I hadn't even realized I was dancing until the music stopped. I opened my eyes, my leg holding most of my weight as the leg I had lifted behind me fell to the ground with a thud. I gasped, not even realizing the way I had been moving when I looked towards Edward.

His eyes were bulging out of his skull, his face twisted into shock. My entire body felt as if it were turning bright red as I cleared my throat, shifting my body back into standing position.

"Sorry," I whispered. "You play flawlessly."

"My playing?" Edward scoffed. "I think it's your dancing that was flawless."

I was silent, not even daring to move. I didn't want to explain my whole dancing incident. It was my past and defiantly not apart of my present.

"Do you want to explain how a New York reporter knows the perfect moves to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake?"

I laughed lightly and shook my head, motioning towards the piano he sat at.

"Do you want to explain how you learned to _play_ Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake?"

He hung his head, a smile on his lips.

"It's a long story."

I sighed, pointing to the piano and motioning for him to play.

"I'll let my dancing do the talking."

He did as I asked, his fingers easily flowing against the keys with a flawless flow. I closed my eyes, letting my mind drift to when I had seen my own mother perform the piece and then playing back the mental images of myself dancing the piece years later.

Even with bare feet it was easy. The hardwood floors easily brushing against the floor as if I were floating on thin air. My legs still lifted with easy grace and flawless flexibility, just as they had so many year ago. My arms remembered the fluid motions and shifts I had learned by heart.

Everything was simple and elegant. Just as I was taught. As easy as breathing.

As the ballad began to fade so did my movements. When the music finally died, I lifted myself up into the position I was trained and stopped flawlessly.

I was panting, my breath ragged and body covered in sweat as I tried to catch my breath. My muscles ached and already began throbbing the moment my movement ceased.

My hair stuck to my forehead and back, making it only that much more difficult to see Edward's face. When finally got a good glimpse, I saw the shock and awe lining every crease and wrinkle in his face.

"Wow," he breathed. "That was magnificent."

I laughed, trying to breathe at the same time, "Thanks. Seventeen years of training and twenty one years of watching my mother perform and do the same makes it easy for you to be great."

Edward's jaw dropped again.

"Seventeen years? Of training for the ballet?"

I shook my head.

"I never wanted to be in the ballet. My mother was a principle dancer for a company in Seattle but when she had me she stopped dancing for a while. After that she just taught ballet. She was magnificent. Not me."

"So what's your story?" I asked him this time.

"My mother made me practice constantly." he ran his fingers over the keys without making them sound off.

His eyes looked down adoringly at the piano, never letting anything about each and every detail of the artwork leave his sight.

I made my way beside him, bumping my hip to his shoulder so he would scoot over on the stool. I plopped down beside him, playing a very poor version of _Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star_ I had learned off of You tube a couple of years back.

Edward smiled, placing his fingers on the keys, one arm swooping around my back and pressing his nose to my neck as he began playing the song also but in a much more intricate pattern.

"Keep playing," he urged, kissing my temple.

I giggled, shaking my head. "No way."

"Please?"

"Edward, I can dance to it. I never said I could play it."

"You just played it a second ago."

"Poorly," I snorted, enjoying the feeling of his lips on my neck.

"Well then play poorly once more."

I rolled my eyes, finding it hard not to smile and chicken pecked the keys I knew I needed to play. When we were done, our music had intertwined making even my horrible playing skill sound light and almost enjoyable.

"You surprise me more and more every second I get to know you further," Edward whispered into my ear.

I chuckled, leaning my forehead to his shoulder.

"How so?"

"Well," he took his hands off the keys, pressing them into my sides gently. "For one, you have the intellect of a highly educated scholar,"

I snorted, interrupting him for a moment.

"You have the agility and knowledge of a boxer," that I couldn't deny. "And you can dance better than most professional ballerinas. Not to mention a body for sin." his fingertips ran down my bare legs, making my eyes flutter closed.

"Hmm," I hummed into the skin of his chest. "You're one to talk."

"What do you mean?" he asked, obviously intrigued while his fingers continued to trace tiny patterns into the skin of my legs.

"You're the number three boxer in the world and yet you don't have a huge ego like most. You can throw a punch harder than any boxer I've known of but you can play piano just as gracefully as Mozart."

Edward shrugged, holding me close against his chest.

"Hands are important to a boxer."

"And to piano players," I spoke up.

"I won't be able to play forever, Bella," his tone shifted into that of sadness. "One day I'll break a hand or get arthritis if I'm lucky. Shatter a bone or have pins stuck in it." he was silent for a moment, his face staring off into space. "It's inevitable for me."

"That's not true, Edward," I shook my head and climbed my way into his lap.

He let out a frustrated breath but put on a brave smile for me.

"I hope you're right. I really do."

…

I tapped my pen on my desk as I stared at the finished column that remained on my awaiting laptop screen. I couldn't help the smug grin played upon my lips. I was good. Really good.

Not only had I finished an entire story about Edward Masen in five hours, it had come out close to perfection. I knew I was pretty biased, since I wrote it, but what else could I do but be cocky. I was the first in the entire history of boxing to get an interview with Edward Masen.

The Edward Masen.

_My_ Edward Masen.

I looked up at the digital clock that rested on a shelf beside the window of my office there at work and sighed happily. 6: 45 pm. Edward would be training with Carlisle at Carlisle's gym at the moment but he would be finished a half hour after I arrived. It would only be a fifteen minute walk from my office to Carlisle's gym in Manhattan so my work seemed to be finished here.

I shut my laptop closed, shoving it into my messenger bag and darting out of my office as soon as I could. I was halfway down the hall, my heels clacking loudly against the linoleum tile bellow when a voice like nails on a chalk board stopped me in my tracks.

"Bella!" Mike's voice interjected my thoughts.

_Keep moving_, the denim diva demanded.

_Ignore the freak! _Pinky reared her head out.

She seemed to be coming out a lot lately. An obvious sign of not seeing Rosalie as much as I used to. Or needed to.

"Bella!" he called out again.

I finally reached the elevators but got to them a second too late. They were already closed and moving down from what I could tell by the dial above the doors.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath and slapped on the best smile I could. "Mike."

"Hey!" he breathed heavily form running. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"

I cleared my throat, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear.

I had heard him alright. I just didn't want to talk to him. If it weren't for Mike's sneaky and underlying ways, I wouldn't have met Edward, of course, but I knew that he had something up his sleeve for giving me the story.

"No," I lied. "I was thinking about the story, sorry."

He shrugged, probably knowing I was lying but brushed it off.

"It's okay. Look, Bella, I know we have this work relationship and it may not be morally sound," he was shaking with nerves, his forehead beading with sweat. "But I was hoping that maybe we could go out for dinner sometime. I mean it's the most you could do after I gave you that lead!"

I sighed heavily, knowing exactly what trick Mike was pulling. He gave me the story, I give him a date. I was panicking, knowing perfectly well that I couldn't go out on a date with Mike but I also couldn't tell him Edward Masen was my boyfriend. We had already been going out for a couple of weeks but Edward hadn't announced it and I already knew that by him making it official in a few days at his next pre-fight interview there would be tons of gossip by the next morning.

"Err…" I took a deep breath.

Conflict pulled my mind apart, making my thought process that much harder to push through. I didn't even make it a solid thought before spewing out my answer.

"What do you say?" he rocked on the balls of his feet.

"Sure," I croaked out flatly. "T-that sounds fine."

Mike's lips twisted up into a brilliant, cheesy smile. I wasn't exactly charmed but it what else could I do? Edward and I needed to wait before announcing anything so I did what I had to. The only thing I could do without causing a scene.

"Great! How about next Saturday? I know you have that pre-interview you were invited to this weekend so we can do something next weekend."

"Okay," I trembled in disgust. "See you then."

I thanked whatever was out there - God, Buddha, Allah, whatever the fuck - that the elevator came when it did, allowing me the opportunity to escape the incredibly awkward conversation I had been shoved into.

After shaking the thoughts of everything that had just happened out of my mind and making my way through the thick crowd of paparazzi that lined the gym Edward was practicing at, I got into the training room. No one had really paid me any attention, only wanting photos of Edward, so it was simple to get in as quickly as I did.

"Faster, Edward!"

Carlisle's familiar voice commanded shrill through the training room I had stepped into.

"Push yourself! Don't slack just because Alice is here!" he growled at my sweaty boyfriend.

Edward wasn't wearing a shirt, sweat pouring down his back and onto the back of his training shorts. He was doing circuits, going from jumping rope to ladders and then arm work out too painful to even watch.

I looked up into the small bleachers that hung behind the small ring Edward was training at almost transparently. They were practically invisible in the shadows and only held two figures.

I could easily tell that one was that of Alice Masen, Edward's younger and only sibling. The other was of a small woman, petite with long hair from what I could see as she sat beside Alice.

I went frigid, praying that whoever it was sitting beside Alice wasn't Edward's mother. I knew it was unlikely, knowing Edward's discomfort when she was around, and took in another shaky breath.

Alice's face turned slightly as she spoke to the woman beside her animatedly, a wide smile spread on her face that I hadn't really seen before, when she caught a glimpse of me. Her smile grew wider before she sprinted down off the bleachers, rushing towards me.

"Bella!" she called, catching Edward's attention with my name.

"Bella?" he turned slightly, only to be given a sharp smack to the back of the head by Carlisle.

I giggled at the scene unfolding in the rink, Carlisle forcing his fighter to regain focus, and almost fell back when Alice launched herself at me.

"Bella! It's so good to see you again!" Alice cooed happily.

"H-hey Alice," I stuttered nervously and patted her back. "It's good to see you too."

"How have you been?" she beamed up at me, pulling back to stare.

"Good. You're brother makes very good company." I smiled back.

She giggled, knowingly.

"I know. He's a good guy."

"Yes he is."

I could tell Edward was trying to sneak a peak at me every now and then, finally pleasing Carlisle with his over exerted effort that he was using to show off for me. I knew Edward's fighting and training style all to well to know when he was giving it his all and when he wasn't.

He was totally slacking the moment I walked in.

_Bum!_, Butch Barbie scoffed.

"Alice," a beautiful, whimsical voice called from the bleachers. "Leave the poor girl alone and let her sit. I'm sure it was hell to get in here."

Alice rolled her eyes and gave me a sly wink.

"Come on," she tugged at my hand. "Let me introduce you to my mom."

Oh god. Somebody upstairs wasn't liking me today.

I was still very confused, knowing I had already met Mrs. Masen and from what I could tell this woman's silhouette looked nothing like the ghost of a woman's I had seen a few weeks back.

"Your mom?" I whispered to Alice as we made our way up the bleachers.

"Yeah," Alice smiled wryly. "Esme Cullen. Carlisle's wife."

"But I thought-"

"I'll explain later," she whispered a second before we reached the person.

The woman before me had to be one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Her long, light brown hair shone in the light even in it's thick, heavy looking tendrils that flowed down her shoulders. The off white skirt suit she was wearing made her lily white skin look even more glowing. She was stunning.

"Bella!" Esme stood up gracefully.

"Hi, Mrs. Cullen. It's so good to meet you."

I held out a hand for her to shake but she ignored it, wrapping her arms around me warmly. I could already sense the exact reasons why Alice had such an inclination for this woman. Even to a complete stranger, she was warm and loving. She was instinctively maternal in every way.

"Bella," she pulled back. "It's so good to finally meet you! Edward and Alice have told Carlisle and I nothing but good things."

"They talk about me?" I whispered softly.

"Bella!" Carlisle's frustrated voice came from the ring, making us all turn.

Edward was sitting on the floor, cross legged, panting heavily. Break time obviously.

"Yes sir?" I tried to keep my tone solid but it shook from awe.

"Edward tells me you know some things about boxing?"

I placed my bag down on the bleachers, Alice staring at the back of my head in confusion. I stepped forward, my hips touching the railing of the bleachers. My arms crossed over my chest as I contemplated what I should say.

"I know a bit."

Carlisle's eyes shifted over my work clad body. I was in black slacks, a white button down and some heels; my usual attire for work. His eyes seemed to asses everything I was and did. Every breath or movement was criticized in his eyes but I didn't mind. I was used to it.

"You maybe wanna come up here and give my boy some motivation?" he bartered amused.

Edward's tired eyes snapped up towards me with so much hope it was almost scary. He wanted me in the ring with him.

"I'd love to."


	12. Chapter 12: I Got Your Back

**Something Worth Fighting For  
Chapter 12. I Got Your Back...  
**

**Isabella Swan**

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**Hey guys! I know, it's been a while but this was a MASSIVE chapter! i mean...enormous! i rewrote it at least three times because i just couldn't get past this stupid writers block. i think it's a side effect of the pregnancy. oh well! anyways! it's up and i'm very excited to see this relationship grow and these charecters develop! It's still pretty early in the story but as most of you know, i have a sort of whacky time frame for updating. **

**So as an incetive for me to write a bit faster and for my reviewers to keep up the reviewing, i suggest a trade.**

**_You put in a review for THIS CHAPTER and you will gain a very generous sneak peak of the next chapter. It'll probably be sent within the next few days and i certainly don't mind sending to oh...say a million people! haha! I enjoy reviews far too much...!_**

**anyways! I'm off to bed. This baby's killin' me! haha! good night to all and enjoys the chapter!(:**

* * *

Alice's yoga pants were heaven in the form of stretch cotton that clung to your ass better than skin. I had read somewhere in some skank issued magazine that yoga was great for stress relief and kicking bad habits like smoking but I figured, screw the yoga and just slip on a pair of those suckers. You'll be stress free the rest of your damn life.

After lacing up some tennis shoes Alice had also let me borrow - the woman worked out twice a day, four times a week and carried extra work out clothes in her purse on a regular basis - I stood up eagerly, my muscles tingling in excitement as I bounded on the balls of my feet from side to side. I had been so busy lately with Edward, the interview and stressing over this Mike Newton date thing that I hadn't really found anytime to hit the gym.

Not the gym that people went to run on treadmills and buy Muscle Milk, either. I was used to Marcus's gym with real training equipment and a rink full of bloodied and sweat covered boxers duking it out. It was better than any fucking cardio class I had ever taken. Which wasn't saying much because I had never taken a cardio class.

"Whoa there, Tiger!" Alice's light little laugh broke through my thought process.

She glided into the locker room gracefully, not even having to look down at her stiletto covered feet like I was constantly doing with just flats on. In her tiny hands she held a thick roll of sports wrap, obviously noticing my jammed up knuckles that I had been marked with since I was old enough to learn how to brawl with my cousins.

I gave the air a couple more jabs, still pouncing eagerly back and forth between my feet, before sitting myself back down on the bench and letting Alice drag my hands into hers.

Her hands were unwavering, steady and unshakable as she worked in fluid movements.

"You really know a lot about boxing, don't you?" Alice looked up at me through her thickly mascara coated lashes.

"Grew up around it most of my life."

"Wow."

"It's nothing special. Just had a dad and a bunch of uncles who enjoyed the sport far more then they enjoyed playing with their kids," my ton was flat.

Alice continued to wrap my left hand after finishing my right, leaving me to inspect her impeccable job of taping up my hands.

"It's better than having no dad at all," she snorted darkly.

I shrugged.

"I'm not complaining. My dad's a good guy. He and my mom were just a kid when they had me and when I came out a girl he was kind of disappointed. I guess that's why I never really took to ballet like my mom would have wanted me to. I was always trying my hardest to gain my dad's interest."

Alice nodded her head silently, knowing exactly what I was talking about. I had met Alice and Edward's mother, no matter how terrible a person she was, but I had never heard either one of them talk about him or even seen him before. I didn't even know the poor man's name.

"You know ballet?" Alice changed the subject quickly.

"My mom was a principle dancer for a company in Seattle for a long time."

"That's awesome. She taught you?"

"Made me practice until ever toe on my foot was bleeding."

"Sounds hard."

"Boxing was harder."

Alice let out a long sigh, pulling back after finishing her second masterpiece on my left hand.

"Don't I know it," she chuckled. "Well, there you go. You're all ready to head out there, Bella."

I lifted both hands up to my eyelevel, examining every perfect detail there was to see. She had wrapped my hand quicker, more efficiently and better than any cut man ever had the ability to do.

"Wow, Ali," I whispered in awe. "You are awesome at this! Where did you learn how to wrap so well?"

Alice giggled under her breath, packing the tape away into a first aid kit behind her on the opposite bench I was facing.

"When you have a brother who bangs up his knuckles almost every day to put food on the table, you learn pretty quickly and adapt to almost any situation."

"Well it paid off," I tried to keep the mood light. "You should really think about going into like sports medicine or something. You could be Edward's cut man!"

"No way," she shook her head solemnly. "I can barely manage seeing my brother all beat up from fifty yards away. Seeing him take the blows and then having to patch him up right there wouldn't help my nerves any more than taking the blows for him would."

I felt a pang of anxiety hit my heart and spread down to my stomach. I had never really thought about it like that. Edward was literally throwing himself to the lions every chance he got so he could put food on the table for Alice and his family. I had never been that selfless but here I was, with the most unselfish person there had to be on the face of the planet.

"Yeah. I know exactly what you mean."

Alice smiled up at me with gleaming eyes before reaching out to grasp my taped up hand firmly. I didn't flinch away or feel any awkwardness between us. It was as if she was sealing a bond that would forever be with our hands locked together.

"I'm so glad my brother chose you, Bella."

I smiled down at the young girl in front of me. She wasn't much younger than I was, but I could instinctively feeling the maternal instincts kicking in. Alice meant the world to Edward and Edward was slowly but surely becoming just that to me. Therefore, Alice was slowly but surely becoming my world as well.

"Me too, Alice. Me too."

"It's no wonder he loves you so much!" she giggled lightly, pulling me into a tight hug as she bounced up and down in complete joy.

My body went ridged under her grasp, listening to the words that had so suddenly escaped from her lips.

"L…l-love?" I sputtered out.

Alice quickly pulled away, her body flying a foot away from mine, as if I had electrocuted her. Her hands cupped over her mouth in horror as her eyes grew wide, tears streaming down her face. I remained frozen, staring at Alice's worried face for a long moment.

"Bella," Alice stepped forward with a pleading look. "Oh my gosh! Bella! I'm so sorry! I didn't man for that to come out! Me and him were just talking the other night and we got onto the topic of you and soon he was just saying it and he was supposed to tell you and I'm sorry!"

"Alice!" I chuckled, still a bit uneasy. "Jeez, sweetie! You could give my old Lit professor a stroke from the run on sentences you spew!"

I wrapped my arms around her trembling body warmly, trying to reassure both herself and I that this was a good thing.

"I'm really sorry, Bella…please don't run off because of this. He knew it was too early to tell you anything and he wasn't going to say it for a while but…just please don't break his heart."

Alice's words cut straight to my soul. She was like a small child, shaking in fear that I would hurt her big brother's heart. She loved Edward so much and she knew that him losing me would do just the trick.

I rubbed her arm gingerly, trying to calm her.

"Alice, don't worry about it. It's still really early, yeah, but I care about Edward a lot too."

Alice stared up at me with confused eyes.

"Just…'care'? You don't love him?"

Her question was expected but still slightly caught me off guard. Did I love Edward yet? There was the essence of love there but it was fully manifested yet. Like I had said before, I care for Edward on a very intimate and strong level. I couldn't tell if it was absolute and complete love yet. It was far too early.

As I looked down at Alice, I saw expectant eyes filled with hope and confusion. I remembered what it was like to be her age. How easy the concept of love seemed. It had confused me at first as well but after a few years of wising up and growing the knowledge I probably knew I never had, I learned that trust and love had to be earned and Edward and I weren't there yet.

There were things I was still keeping form Edward and there were things Edward still kept form me. It was just natural that way. We hadn't known each other long enough to give ourselves to each other in such a deep way yet. We had even laid off the sex for a while, knowing that if this relationship was going to work, physicality couldn't be our first priority.

I rubbed Alice's arm once again, feeling her gradually begin to calm down.

"I don't know yet, Ali." I smiled at her. "It's still really early. Too early to tell but…I think there is a very high probability that love will be there someday."

Alice's eyes glistened with happiness, her tiny arms wrapping around my waist and squeazing me tighter than any boxer ever could. Who knew such a tiny girl could have so much strength.

"You okay now?" I chuckled, hugging her back before pulling away.

"Yeah," she wiped at her eyes. "I'm good. Don't worry about me."

"I'm glad."

We stood in silence for a bit after that, not rushing to get outside at the moment. Edward was probably doing some more much needed conditioning with Carlisle anyways, so it didn't really matter.

"So are you excited?" Alice asked with her goofy, tooth filled grin.

"For what?"

"The announcement at Edward's pre-fight interview tomorrow, silly!"

"Oh…yeah. Sure. I guess."

"Well you don't sound very enthusiastic about it. Come on! My brother is proclaiming to the world tomorrow night that you are his girlfriend! Isn't it exciting?"

"It is. I am. I mean Edward and I both know who we are to each other and how we stand in each other's lives. This is sort of just making it more public. Not official."

Alice analyzed my words carefully as I watched her eyes moving back and forth. It was like she was calculating something in her brain, trying to make every piece of the puzzle fit like she wanted it to. It wasn't going to, though. Because Edward and I had made up our own puzzle and it would only fit the way we wanted it to.

"I guess you're right." she shrugged.

I rolled my eyes at her teenage mind, feeing sort of hypocritical at the same time since I was only a few years older than her, but still tried to break it down to her level.

"I'm excited, Alice. I just know what comes along with being Edward's girlfriend when it comes to becoming public with our relationship" Alice's eyes watched me in resolution as I spoke. "Paparazzi are never going to leave us alone, we are going to have to keep my family at a distance so they don't get dragged into everything and eventually some false rumor will eat at either of us until we snap. We are going to have to fight and work every day since he is such a large star."

"Oh," she looked down at her shoes. "Well if you had just said that in the beginning…."

I chuckled at her words and pulled her by the hand lightly out of the gym.

"C'mon. Let's go kick some Edward butt!"

"Yay!"

Alice and I giggled our way out of the locker room, enjoying each others company all the way out until we heard it. The loud, banshee like wail that hit us both like a brick wall, slamming into our bodies harder than ever.

"I can't believe this! How could you do this to your own mother?" Mrs. Masen's familiar voice screeched over the whispered tones that hung in the air.

"I've made my decision. I already told you that. I'm not backing down." Edward's tone was flat and unfaltering.

"I raised both of you spoiled brats and you can't just give me one thing in return! How dare you!" Mrs. Masen was growing furious by the second.

"Oh no…" Alice's tiny voice whispered in desperate fear. "She's here."

My instincts kicked in quicker than they ever had as I spun around on my heels, my hands gently landing on her small shoulders.

"Alice?" I tried to pull her out of her shocked looking state. "Alice, you need to leave here, honey. Can you go out through the back maybe and head to your apartment?"

She quickly hook her head.

"No. She'll find me there."

"What do you mean?"

Alice rolled her eyes widely.

"When she's had enough of fucking over my brother, she comes to sink her teeth into me."

I contemplated her words, knowing how tormented Edward probably was but triee to focus back on Alice's shaking body.

"How about Edward's place?"

Tears now threatened to fall over through her haze covered eyes.

"She knows I go there when I'm not at my apartment."

I took in a seep breath, trying to think of other places she could go. I didn't think having Alice head to a hotel would be a great idea. Being scared and in an unfamiliar place wasn't exactly the greatest thing for her right now. Not to mention the pressure of eyes and camera lenses on her all the times wasn't exactly much help either. We didn't want another Brittney Spears with an umbrella and shaved head incident.

But with Edward's mother you never knew what you were going to get.

"Okay," I took a breath. "Alice, I need you to listen to me okay?"

She stared up at me with blank eyes but nodded in reaffirmation.

"Spoiled brats?" Edward growled angrily. "When have Alice or I ever asked you for anything? We had to work our asses off to fucking survive! Now it's your turn!"

"In the bag I brought is the key to my apartment. I want you to take it, head out the back entrance and stay there as long as you need, okay?"

Alice looked up at me with grateful but wary eyes.

"Are you sure, Bella?"

I pulled her in for a tight hug, wanting to never let go so I could just protect this little girl for the rest of my life. She would someday become a woman, knowing how to handle things like this just as her older brother had but for now she was still nineteen and just a kid. No matter how much she had been around this stuff her whole life, she still didn't deserve to see her world crumble like it was. She needed a sanctuary.

"One hundred and ten percent, sure."

I gave her the best smile I could before spewing out my address and shoving her into the locker room. I prayed that she would run and not look back because she would just be drawn into her mother's grasp as easily as a moth to a flame.

After I waited a bit, trying my hardest not to listen to Edward and his mother's argument until I felt I was ready to come in.

After I made the longest walk of my life and rounded the corner to see Edward being blocked off by Carlisle while Esme stood as a buffer between Esme and Edward as well. I had to give the woman props. As elegant and beautiful as she was, she was completely fierce in her posture.

"You need help and I'm not giving you another fucking cent until you get it!" Edward was red from neck to hairline as he yelled pointedly towards his mother.

"That's great, baby boy! Just leave your poor mother to fend for herself on the streets!" Mrs. Masen bit back.

"Elizabeth!" Esme scolded sharply, looking about ready to kill.

"Oh stay out of this Esme! You're just after my son's money! Just like everyone else."

Esme remained perfectly serene, speaking calmly.

"I don't need his money, Lizzy. I assure you, I work for my money unlike some people."

"Oh please! You think you are so fucking perfect? That you can be my children's mother just because you couldn't have any of your own? You aren't their mother! I AM!"

"Elizabeth!" Carlisle barked at the disgusting woman.

Edward almost lurched out of his coach's tight grasp but didn't do it with enough reason or thought so Carlisle could easily bound him with his clear head. Esme didn't even flinch, holding her ground steadily.

I didn't know how to react to the situation around me. How could these people who were blood or just as close be so cruel to each other? I didn't know anything about what was going on and I didn't how to handle it. So I did the one thing that felt right. I went to Edward, wrapping my arms around his waist and making him instantly melt in relaxation, his breaths calming.

"Bella…" he whispered into my hair.

It seemed like with every breath he released, he seemed to calm that much more.

"Shhh, Edward. Don't listen to it. I'm here. Calm down…"

"I can't handle this much longer, Bella. I'll snap," he whispered in a mixture of desperation and fear.

I ran my hand up his tee shirt clad back slowly, trying to sooth his shaky nerves.

"I'm right here. I'm right here…"

"What is that bitch doing here?" Mrs. Masen's voice interrupted what I thought I had finally reigned in.

Edward lurched but I kept him in better then most probably expected. I may have been small but I had strength.

"Don't you ever fucking call her that!" Edward screamed so loud, I swore the concrete walls shook.

Elizabeth didn't even flinch. I finally turned to get a good look at her, taking in her malnourished and sunken in body. She was wearing the same matted, fur coat I had seen her in last, heels that looked strange and heavier than her body did white the black sequin, strapless dress I only saw Alice's aged girls wear at clubs. Her fingers were twitching wildly as her temper flared at the sight of me.

Wrong, my subconscious whispered in suspicion. Wrong, wrong, wrong…

"Edward," I ran my fingers through his hair reassuringly, trying to bring him back to me. "Calm down, sweetheart. You can't let her pick at you."

"Stay out of this you little slut!"

Edward lurched in my arms, making Carlisle press against him once more. This was starting to annoy me, though. I easily turned half of my body, griping Edward's should blades firmly before undercutting the back of his knees and shoving with my shoulders so that he flew back against the bleachers directly behind us.

I knew Edward would probably be shocked at my ability and strength but that only gave me more time. I strode forward, ducking past Esme's blocking arms so that I was face to face with Mrs. Masen herself.

So close I could see every detail her face presented. Her pale, grey skin was beaded with sweat, her eyes wide and blood shot as they twitched every now and then. Her chapped lips were cracked and caked with blood and saliva from them peeling so badly. Large, puffy bruises rested under her dull green eyes that had absolutely no light or life to them.

Memories of Mrs. Masen's action and how she looked, emaciated, malnourished and highly strung out was like adding the last pieces to the puzzle. This is why Alice was so scared of her and Edward hated her so much. This is why Edward had to give her money and why she was the way she was.

"What did you call me?" I snarled out viciously.

Mrs. Masen's eyes went wild with glee, her lips pulled back into a horrid grimace smirk to reveal a row of yellow stained teeth.

"I can smell a gold digger a mile away."

"Just like I know a junkie when I see one."

It was like with that one sentence, the air had been sucked out of the room. Out of every person in there's lungs. The so well kept secret was finally out and probably not in a way they wanted it to be.

Mrs. Masen recoiled at my words but easily concealed it, straightening herself up and lifting a violently shaking hand to uselessly smooth down her matted fur coat.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied indignantly, her nose raised high.

"Really?" I quirked a brow. I took one step closer, warning and venom lacing my voice. "Stay. Away. From them."

Mrs. Masen only cackled in my face.

"Or what?"

"Or I'll take you down myself."

"Is that a threat?" she seemed amused.

"A promise."

"Bella-" Carlisle tried to pull me back, but I cut him off.

"I wonder which you are worse at?" I chuckled darkly. "Being a mother or just a person in general."

Mrs. Masen's eyes grew wild in fury, her lips growing into a tight, thin line as her nostrils flared.

"You little cunt!" she screamed, her hand raised to smack me.

I was far too fast for her, easily reaching out, gripping onto her wrist spinning her and twisting her arm upwards so that she screamed out in pain.

"Stay away! From all of them!" I growled in white hot rage.

"Aghhh!" she screamed, sobbing loudly.

"Say it!" I twisted her arm further.

How dare she. How dare she torment her children and then slam me for simply trying to be there. How dare Edward keep something so serious form me and leave me to find out the hard way. How dare she ever try to lay a hand on me! My anger boiled higher and higher until she finally submitted.

"Fine! I promise!" she let out through sobs.

With that, I flung her forward, sending her tumbling in far too large heels. She flinched, her back to us still as she cradled her hand against her chest. When she finally turned, blood shot eyes flowed with tears of pain and anger. She didn't dare look at me, though. Her focus instead remained on her son behind me.

"After all I did for you!" she seethed. "I'm your mother! I wont' forget this. I won't forget how you let your stupid little whore treat me! I never will!"

I wanted more than anything to scare her off, stomping my foot and growling to make her flee, but I was immobilized by sheer anger. My body was on lock down. My mouth could work though.

"GET OUT!" I barked, hearing my father's authoritive voice in my own.

Mrs. Masen flinched before cowering against herself and scurrying out the back door like the coward she was. She was a terrible, vicious person who had no use in Edward's or Alice's life. Nor mine.

I cared for the both of the so muc it killed me but at that moment, my rage overwhelmed everything. Every emotion. Every feeling I could sense but not indulge in at the moment or soak in.

Edward had kept something very big from me. Something I couldn't judge him for but something he should have told me the moment he asked me to be with him. If I was going to be his girlfriend, there were several things that were going to come along as baggage. Having paparazzi follow you around all the time was one thing. Having an addict parent was a completely different subject. The worst part of it all was Edward's need to feed his mother's addiction.

I spun around on my heels, needing to move. To walk away before I said anything too rash. Too angry and too fierce. Edward didn't understand, coming up right behind me.

"Bella," his voice called out to me calmly.

I saw red, focusing on the locker room as my target and then the exit door.

"BELLA!"

I spun around, stopping dead in my tracks to face him. He looked just as livid as I was.

"What?" I spat.

"What the fuck was that?" he fumed.

"What was what? Your drugged up junkie mother coming at me? Oh, I don't know Edward," I bit back sarcastically.

Edward clenched his jaw firmly, his eyes growing an icy shade of green, making his black irises stand out pungently.

"This is none of your concern, Bella."

"Oh really? So being with you and getting bashed by your fucking mother every time we come into contact doesn't concern me? Yeah right, Edward."

"You could have just ignored her!"

"Oh, like you did?"

"She's my mother!"

"And I'm your girlfriend!"

"It's different!"

"How?"

"Oh come on, Bella! You know exactly how!"

"No!" I fought. "I want to know how she and I are so fucking different! If you love me so fucking much like Alice said then how could we possibly be different?"

I cut myself off, flinching at my own words and cursing myself for letting it slip.

Edward's face went blank.

"Alice told you?"

I hesitated but knew that since the truth was already out, I might as well have.

"Yes," I said firmly. "And if it's true, tell me why me and your mother are so different."

"She should have told you anything," he glared down at me, running a long hand through his tangled locks.

It was obvious he was trying to avoid the subject.

"Tell me!"

"No!"

"I deserve to know!"

"It's none of you concern!"

I wasn't concerned with the risks anymore, I pressed my chest against Edward's screaming until I was blue in the face.

"TELL ME!"

"BECAUSE YOU AREN'T IMPORTANT!" he yelled back in my face, equally as red.

"Edward!" Esme scolded from somewhere behind us.

I had totally forgotten they had been there.

"Is that what you wanted to hear?" Edward panted. "Are you happy now?"

I swallowed the hard lump that formed in my throat, nodding and shoving off of him.

"Fucking ecstatic!"

As I made my way back to the locker room, Edward yelled behind me.

"You wanted the truth!"

"And I got it!" I called back at him, not able to stop the tears as I stopped to glare at him through narrowed eyes. "I get it, Edward! Alice is a liar and so are you! All of you are!"

I pointed to not only Edward but his low head hanging parent figures behind him. They weren't only ashamed by Edward's actions but also by their own.

"You aren't my family," Edward growled. "I have responsibilities and people who need me."

"I needed you!" I retorted, pointing at myself. "But obviously that doesn't matter anymore."

Edward turned a shoulder to me, his eyes staring away from me as his voice came old in a frozen tone.

"Maybe it never did."

I could feel the horrid, burning sob that ached to come out of my chest but instead I nodded, spinning around and grabbing my things before sprinting out the back entrance. I fumbled through my bag, not able to see through the thick tears and grabbed my cell phone right as I hailed down a cab.

I dialed the number quickly as I slid in, throwing the name of the place I was going and the money over the seat.

The phone rang a couple of times as I sobbed, never phasing the experienced looking driver. He threw me a few worried glances through the rear view mirror but he knew better than to interfere.

"Hello?" Marcus's voice came over the phone with heavy pants.

"M-Marucs…" I sobbed.

"Bella? Bella is that you?" his tone grew worried.

"Y-yeah, i-i-it's me. Do y-you have anyone a-at the gym r-r-right now?" I hiccupped through my heavy cries.

"No, B. No one. What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did that Edward punk touch you?"

I screamed out in agony - making the cabbie flinch a bit at the sudden shriek - at the sound of his name. Yes, he had hurt me. But not in the way my dear cousin thought.

"I'll be there i-in a m-minute."

"Bella! Bella wait a sec-"

I hung up before he could ask anymore questions and shut my phone off as quickly as I could, folding myself up on the backseat of the filthy cab all the rest of the drive there, Edward's words playing over and over in my mind.

Because you aren't important!…

Maybe it never did…

Where were my three badass bitches when I needed them?

…

My knuckles were numb, my thighs and claves burning as sweat leaked out of every pour on my skin. I swung my sore arms faster…harder. I pushed myself tougher than I ever had, making every fiber in my body scream for mercy but I wasn't about to submit. This was the only way I could get the angry words exchanged between Edward and I only a few hours ago to remain out of my head.

I couldn't handle it right then and there. I needed it to all go away.

"Fuck!" Caius cursed as I landed another punch to hiss jaw.

Blood squirted out through his mouth, mixing into a thick mess of saliva and blood as his head snapped to the side before coming back.

"Uncle!" he gasped, placing his glove covered hands on his knees. "I give! I'm finished! No more! Please!"

I remained on my feet, bounding back and forth between my feet as I took a deep breath.

"Come on!" I bitched. "What are you two? A couple of pussies?"

Marcus had been pretty pissed when I showed up all broken up and practically blind form the amount of tears that blurred my vision. I had told him everything and after crying my eyes out for a half hour, he took me in the ring to let me get the rest of whatever I had in me out. Little did he know. I had a lot of shit to get out.

After an hour in the ring and a serious ass beating, Marcus gave in, sending his twin brother in to replace him as he iced his swollen sides from my pounding. I didn't have a fucking scratch on me. Just some of their blood and a lot of my own sweat.

"Fuck you!" Caius wheezed. "I'm not a pussy! I'm just not twenty two, like some people, anymore!"

"You're twenty freakin' five!"

"Well," he grumbled, limping his way down off the ring to flop down onto one of the folding chairs Marcus had brought out. "You see how good you feel in three years!"

"Probably better than you two whimps!"

"Suck it!" Marcus flipped me off.

"Suck what? There's nothing there!"

"Mehhhh!" Caius groaned and waved off my presence.

He took an ice pack form his brother and placed it on the massive shiner he was bound to have tomorrow.

"Come on!" I groaned, needing something to hit. Something preferably with a penis. "THrow Jasper in! the kid's young but he can probably take a few punches better than either of you two can!"

Jasper was barely nineteen, had just moved to New York form Dallas and working at my brother's place to help support his single mother and two younger siblings with bills. He was a good kid and was attending Harvard on a full ride. I admired him for getting his education but you could see the desire for boxing and raw talent the kid held.

Right on cue, Jasper popped his head out from entertaining a fussy Demetri in Marcus's office. The kid was already in gym clothes o he might as well have been listening for his name to be called.

"Did I hear my name?" Jasper drawled out in his thick accent.

"NO!" Marcus barked. "You heard nothing! Go back into my office and get D to sleep! You aren't going to kill my best fighter two days before his first match, Bella!"

"Oh shut up!" Jasper said for me, already making his way into the rink. "I can take her."

I kicked my feet behind my butt, trying to stop the burning in my arch.

"You wish!" I snorted.

"I know," he teased cockily.

"How about you shut that big, fat, southern mouth of yours and let your hands do the talking?"

"Can do, m'am."

He lurched forward, winging with nothing but speed and brute force. I was sort of pissed that he wasn't using his head, thinking about each and every move he was throwing. Instead he was just being a punk and throwing backslapped and sucker punches.

"Think about what you're throwing!" I called to him, dodging the punches with ease. "Don't just come at me like a raging bull. Pace yourself and think about how you're doing this!"

Jasper stopped for a split second to absorb my words. He was just thrown off by my fists, tough.

"Shit!" he growled, feeling the bruise I had probably given him on his jaw.

"Bella!" Marcus scolded.

"Never let your guard down!" I scolded Jasper.

I heard and felt a flush of cold air swirl in behind me, making my hot skin feel freezing in an instant of contact of the cool, night air lapping at my skin.

"Can I help you, Miss?" Marcus asked someone behind me as Jasper froze in an instant, giving me yet another moment to swing at him, landing my knuckles right on his jaw.

"FUCK! That hurt, Bella!" Jasper stomped his foot, holding his jaw tightly.

A small, twinkling chuckle kept me from laughing. I turned on my heels, my eyes wide as they landed on the tiny girl standing not even three feet away from me at the edge of the ring.

"Hey," Alice chided sadly.

Edward had definitely told her what happened.

I placed my hands on my hips, finally catching my breath and realizing just how hard I had worked myself out.

"Hey, Ali."

Alice fiddled with something in her hands, flipping the shiny piece of silver back and forth between her palms nervously.

"You feeling better?" I asked her gently.

Her face lit up, thankful I wasn't upset at her. No matter how much I wanted to kill Edward right now, I would always be there for Alice. She was so young and needed some guidance. It wouldn't be fair if she didn't have that.

"Yeah. Thanks for that, Bella."

"It was no problem, Alice."

"I think I scared your friend Rosalie a little bit, though," Alice giggled at some thought or memory of Rosalie probably trying to go all bats hit crazy on this poor girl.

"Fuck!" I hissed to myself. "I hope she didn't try and convince you she was a master in Thai Quan Do or anything like that."

I flinched at the thought of what Rose might have said or done to poor Alice but I had to give Rose some credit. She wasn't blind and from what I could tell, when Alice left the gym she had been a pretty big mess.

Alice snorted lightly, shaking her head.

"More like the master of Tae bo!" ALice grimaced. "She was nice. Don't worry about it, Bella. Really. She saw how bad I was and even made me tea."

"She always does that for me when I have a bad day…"

I silently wished I had gone back to my apartment to cry on my best friend's shoulder and drink her disgusting herbal crap while we watched old Jersey Shore episodes and criticized how tacky all the members of the show were.

"She's a good friend."

"I know."

"Bella," Marcus limped over, wincing in pain. "Who's this?"

He jerked his head over to the shorty and gave her a tiny wink, making Alice giggle and blush gently.

"She's Edward's sister. A good friend of mine," I explained, exaggerating on the word 'friend'.

She was friend, not foe. Edward was the enemy in my head right then and there.

Marcus gave me a wide eyed glance, out of Alice's view before holding out a stiff hand to shake her tiny had so hard, her arm rippled like a squirming worm.

"Nice to meet you Edward's sister."

"It's Alice," Alice said ripping her hand back and massaging it gently.

"I'm Marcus."

Alice gave my brutish cousin a tight lipped smile, probably pissed about him fucking dislocating her arm with that handshake.

"Pleasure to meet you," she deadpanned.

I jumped in, already feeling the tension begin to build. I hopped down off the ring, smiling at the tiny girl before me.

"So what's up?" I asked.

Marcus went back to sit his old man ass down, probably too sore to stand any longer.

"Just came to give you your key back," she handed me the thing she had been fiddling with.

"Thanks."

"No problem," she stared down at her shoes for a second before looking up at me with pleading eyes. "I brought you something else by the way."

I didn't need to ask, her gift walked right through the door on his own perfectly sculpted, jean clad legs that stretched as long as the fucking earth's diameter.

Edward stood tall, his muscles and lean body covered in jeans, a pair of combat boots, a plaid button down and a black leather jacket I had seen him wear on several occasions. His shoulders were hunched as his wet hair from either a shower or the rain that had come down since the dark set it's mark in the sky. His eyes were blood shot and just as puffy as my own had been. He had been crying.

Crying…over you…, my normally ration subconscious was weakening her once strong walls just seeing his submitted disposition.

"Alice," I tore my eyes away from him and glared at her. "What's going on."

"Bella," Edward interjected. "It's not her fault. I kind of made her tell me where you were."

"Why?" I snapped. "I'm not important. Why do you care?"

Woooooah! Bitch much? Pink Skanky Bella laughed her ass off while the Denim Diva clapped in praise.

"Bella, come on. Don't be like that."

"Edward?" Marcus limped forward, his jaw hard and body up right.

I could see Edward deflate about twenty times worse than he already was, killing my heart just a bit more. As much as Edward hurt me, no matter how stubborn I was, I would always feel the need to pick him up when he was down. I knew he would do the same for me and seeing Edward hurt, hurt me.

"M, I got it." I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at my cousin through narrowed eyes.

"Bella-"

"I got this!" I hissed sternly.

Marcus lifted his hands in defeate.

"Whatever. You want your heart broken again, don't come crying to me."

"Marcus! Shut up!" Caius called behind his brother. "Don't be like that with your cousin!"

"Shut the fuck up and mind your own damn business!" Marcus barked, punching his brother in the thigh.

"MOTHER FUCKER!" Caius lurched up out of his seat, on the verge of tears.

"Faker," Marcus mumbled and plopped down on his folding chair.

"I'ma kill you!"

"Pussy!"

"Ass wipe!"

I rolled my eyes at their antics, not really caring if they got into it or not right now. I looked up at Edward, motioning him to follow me into one of the spare sparring rooms upstairs that I had made into my own private dance studio a few years back when I thought I was into ballet.

Alice remained downstairs, chatting with a smiling Jasper and helping him ice his jaw as they laughed and giggled together. I was no fortune teller, but I could already see jasper being good for Alice. He was a good boy and had sincerity, honesty and was always a gentleman. A lot better than most New York natives.

As we ascended the stairs, Edward behind me, I couldn't help the internal conflict that sparked inside me. Could I forgive Edward? I knew I wanted to. I really cared about Edward but everything he had said to me…it hurt worse than any broken bone or sprain I had ever had.

When we finally made it into the large, smooth wooden floored floors with mirrors facing almost every angle in the room, I flipped on the lights, reminiscing in old memories of spinning, smiling and dancing how I wanted. Not how my mother had always expected me to.

I slowly spun around, my eyes remaining on the floor as I shuffled my tennis shoe covered feet back and forth. The air was thick with remorse, regret and above all…heartbreak. A throbbing, bleeding and aching heartbreak that would never cease as long as we both allowed our torment to go on.

"Edward…" I breathed with a crack in my voice.

I had tried my hardest to suppress everything, to punch it out or just lock it in the back of my mind…but I couldn't. I cared about Edward so much and so intensely that it was scaring me. I had never moved so fast with someone before and being there with him; it all seemed so real and such a fantasy all at the same time.

By the time I opened my mouth once more, willing myself to speak, I couldn't help the rush of tears and flow o sobs to erupt form my chest.

"No," Edward whispered, running over quicker than I ever could and lifting me into his strong arms.

The sting from everything he had said to me was still there, but in some weird, hypocritical way, my heart still yeaned for him. Passionately. To a point that Edward holding me, no matter how much he hurt me, felt better. Made the hurt cease momentarily. He was my illness but also my cure.

"Please don't cry, Bella," Edward sobbed gently into my hair. He leaned his body down, cradling me against him as he pulled me into his lap and rocked me in his arms as we sat on the wood floor together. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything I said. I didn't mean a word of it, Bella."

"Yes you did," I sniffled. "That's why it hurts so much. It hurts because I know I'm never going to be good enough to be at the top of your list of people to love and take care of. I never knew the truth could hurt so much."

"No," Edward demanded. "Bella it wasn't the truth! Not one bit of it…she…my mother….she just….fuck!….she gets the best of me and twists my head around until I'm spinning in circles and soon I can't tell what up form down or what's right and wrong!"

"So it's your mother's fault that you told me I meant nothing to you?" I scowled at him.

He hung his head, pressing his templed to my forehead as a single tears slipped down his cheek.

"No. it's not her fault. I take responsibility for my actions and words, Bella. I know there will be consequences but Bella…you don't know what she does to Alice and I. How manipulative she is! I try my hardest to keep Alice out of everything and now that I have you….it's just one more person to shelter!"

"But I don't want to be that, Edward!" I finally wiggled out of his grasp, kneeling in front of his bowed head. "Your entire life you've had to fight for survival. For Alice's survival. You've sacrificed and bled, cried and sweat over life. I want to be the one to fight for you this time Edward. I don't want to be just another person for you to care for. It's your turn to be fought for and taken care of."

Edward's tears came faster, his head shaking in shame. All my life I had watched Edward Masen fight. He had always seemed so invincible to me. So strong and unbeatable. Nothing could destroy him…but here I was. The destroyer; just as he was mine.

"And when you kept something so important like that was form me…I felt as if you had just left me to the dogs! Like you didn't want to fight for me at all. I can manage myself but a little warning would have been a great preparation tactic."

"I didn't mean to," he looked up at me with red eyes full of sincere sadness. "I've just had to keep it a secret my entire life. It was like a fucking habit! Like being ashamed was apart of who I was."

"Why would you be ashamed, Edward?"

"Because I fucking feed it! I feed her addiction! I always have…just to get her to leave us the fuck alone!" he sobbed even harder now, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his face behind his arms.

In that moment, I could see everything. Every vulnerability Edward had ever had to offer. He was that thirteen year old boy on the playground, fighting for lunch money or just to stay alive. He was the kid with ragged, old clothes, starving as he watched people walk past happily. He was letting me see not only the pain he had inflicted on the both of us that day but the pain he had been harboring his entire life.

"If I told you, Bella, you would have ran. Who wants to deal with someone like that? You saw how she is!" he growled in hatred. "I became a fucking parent at ten, Bella! I was and still am Alice's parents! She may have given birth to us but I raised my sister! I kept food in her mouth and a roof over her head. But even after everything, she comes back into our lives and acts like she did all that. She expects me and Alice to pay her back! For things she never fucking did! At first I fought it, never giving her a cent but then I saw what it was doing to Alice and just gave in. I gave her money to leave us alone, Bella. I knew what she was doing with it and I didn't even care! I know that makes me a bad person but…I just couldn't let it keep happening."

I sat back on my heels, feeling tears of my own begin to swell up inside of me. Edward wasn't a bad person. He never was. He was just trying to protect not only his own heart but his sister's. He wanted normalcy and peace. A sense of home for her that he never got.

"I didn't tell you any of this because…" he took in a deep breath. "You're so innocent in all of this, Bella. You don't need all this baggage or pain. You have a family who loves and cares about you and as much as I want you with me….as much as I love you…it's better just to let you go. So you don't ever have to suffer like I did."

I shook my head, sweat and hair flying all over the place. I slid a hand under his chin, pulling gently up so that he was looking up at me. I raised a tender hand to brush away his long locks from his face.

I finally understood. Edward had said all those things to me to push me away. When he knew I had figured out, he had figured I would run, making his heart weak form rejection. Or worse; he feared I would stay and endure the torment he had his entire life and he didn't want that. The best thing in his mind was probably just to make me run. To leave and never look back.

But I didn't want that. I wanted him. All of him. I wanted to be at his side and fight for him just as he had for everyone else his entire fucking life. I wanted to be the one holding his hands and swinging punches or watching his back this time. For once, Edward Masen wouldn't have to fight.

He would be fought for.

"As long as I've got you, I will never suffer," I whispered, sliding my hand into his. "It's your turn, Edward. It's your turn to be taken care of and protected."

He shook his head.

"I can't ask you to do that."

"You're right," I smiled at him. "But you didn't ever have to."

Edward slammed me against him, our tears, heartbeats and breathing patterns synchronized into one. I didn't really know what love was…I had never experienced it with another person but…I could feel something. The feeling of never wanting to let go and warmth. The feeling of instant connections and perfect chemistry.

"I got you, Edward," I kissed his temple, holding onto him tightly. "I got you."

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**there's a chapter sneak preview with your name on it if you review THIS CHAPTER!(; so get to it! what are you waiting for?**


	13. Chapter 13: A Little Hurt, A Little Hope

** Something Worth Fighting For  
Chapter 13. A Little Hurt, A Little Hope**

**Isabella Swan **

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**Hey guys! Wow! I go a ton of reviews! I know it was because of the whole give a little get a little but it was my Christmas gift from me to you guys! I may throw another one of those but that's only because I'm a total review whore. haha!**

**Thanks to all of you guys for the congrats on my pregnancy. It's going well and I'm enjoying being able to eat whatever I want and explaining to people that I'm now eating for two(:**

**Now,we've learned a lot about Edward in the previous chapter but….what about Bella? What is it that we don't know about her yet? **

**Hmmm…I wonder!(;**

**Let's get to it, then, shall we? **

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"Rose!" I barked through my bedroom door. "Get your ass in here, already!"

I heard a muffled grumble come form further down the hall followed by a stream of curse words and then the slight _swish, swish _sound of Rosalie's fuzzy bunny slippers scraping against the wood floor of our apartment. As she appeared in my doorway, pajama shorts and Emmet's far too large tee shirt on, her face was crumbled up into disgust. Rosalie hated being woken up in the morning and I didn't blame her with the job she had but it was Saturday. The day that Edward and I would announce to the world that we were officially together.

I had to look my best and who else knew better about looks, then my own best friend; Rosalie!

Flattery always made Rose's mood about twenty times better.

"I can't believe you waited to do this all so fucking last second," Rose grumbled and shuffled lazily over to where I had set out several cute but business like outfits.

She ran her icy, sleep hooded eyes over each ensemble carefully, analyzing each and every detail down to the hem.

"Where are you going? A funeral?" she snorted, scrubbing her eyes with the heels of her hand.

"I thought it was sort of business like," I explained like a rookie.

"Bella," Rose chuckled darkly. "Have you seen the wives of these guys? They run with the big dogs. You either show the goods or you are no good. At least not to the nipple slippers club or that horde of paparazzi that follow them around on a daily basis."

"I think that's one club I'm happy to stay out of."

"Uh, yeah!"

"So which one!" I badgered.

She rolled her eyes, obviously exhausted, and shook her head disapprovingly.

"None. They are all too work-like. Where's that white dress I got for you a couple months ago?"

"That wrap dress with the things on the shoulder?"

"They are called studs, Bella, and yes. That one."

"Yeah. I think I have it somewhere in my closet. I don't have shoes that will match with it though," I said already beginning to fish through my closet.

Rosalie rolled her eyes in annoyance, probably thinking I was the stupidest and most vapid person she had ever met in her state of exhaustion. Any other time of the day, she would have loved this, but right now she wasn't with Emmet - a seemingly great relaxant for her these days - and was working on little to no sleep Never a good combination.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I have something," she deadpanned.

"Thank you, Rose. You can go back to sleep now," I smiled to her as I pulled the dress out of the back of my closet.

She threw her hands up in the air as if she were ready to sing hymns of praise.

"Finally! Bed! Oh lover! Here I come!"

She practically sprinted back to her room, slamming the door behind her before she probably passed out on the damn floor.

After fixing up my hair into loose waves, just as my roommate had shown me, I adjusted my slight amounts of makeup and changed into the dress Rose had picked out for me. When I snuck into her room to grab a simple pair of navy blue, Jimmy Choos, I couldn't help but giggle at Rosalie's spread eagle form as she snored loudly into her pillow.

It wasn't until I was almost out the door that my phone rang, making me rush to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey there, beautiful."

Edward's voice was smooth, gentle and completely adoring as he spoke. It was a good way to wake up, hearing someone who loved you like he loved me say your name.

"Hey."

I smiled to myself, stumbling out of the apartment as quietly as I could manage and hailing a cab as fast as I could.

"What are you up to this morning, gorgeous?" he chuckled lightly.

I felt shivers crawl up my spine at the thought of his beautiful smile creeping up on his lips. Even after an enormous fight and an even bigger explanation and make up session, I couldn't help but feel like it had never happened. Like everything was back to perfection and no one could mess that up.

"Oh, you know," I slid into a free cab before telling the driver my destination. "Just going to some big interview and meeting up with my boyfriend."

"Lucky man."

"I'd say he was."

Edward let out a gentle laugh, making my heart only swell twenty times its normal size.

"I highly doubt that whoever this loser is that your talking about, is good enough for you."

I snorted, rolling my eyes as I fidgeted with my heels.

"He's not."

"Ouch!" Edward chuckled. "That stings!"

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my lips as I fluffed my hair as best I could.

"Is there a lot of reporters there yet?" I asked as casually as I could.

I couldn't help but admit to my nerves. As badly as I wanted to be the badass bitch I knew was deep down inside there somewhere, I just found being a ridiculous bundle of nerves to be much more available.

"Tons. I think they got a whiff of what's coming up today. I've never seen so many, and that's saying a lot."

I felt myself gulp hard, swallowing what felt like a fucking grapefruit whole.

"Conceded are we, Mr. Masen?"

"Just a bit. I'm glad the attention won't be on me today, though."

"Edward!" I scolded. "Don't say that!"

"Bella, they aren't here to see me or James Hall. They are here to see you. You're the center of attention today."

"I'm going to barf all over the place if you keep talking like that," I said un-jokingly.

No matter my flat and serious tone, Edward laughed his beautiful, confident laugh that shot me straight to the core.

"You'll be great, Bella."

"That's what you think. You never know."

"Well I'll be there right beside you incase you fall."

My eyes widened, staring down at the atrociously high heels I had decided to wear today. I squeezed my eyes closed, inhaling deeply through my nose.

"Please don't use the 'f' word," I pleaded shakily.

The driver pulled up to the large Sprint center that resided only a few feet away form me now. I easily pulled out a pair of large sunglasses out of my clutch and placed them on my face, still on the phone after I paid the driver and made my way out of the cab.

"What?" he played coy. "Fuck?"

I smiled, absolutely loving his boyish side that only came out to play on special occasions.

"No. I actually like when you use that one," I teased.

"Bella," Edward growled huskily. "Don't make me come after you."

"Why Mister Masen, I assure you, you wouldn't be able to catch me," I giggled, biting my lower lip as I made my way into the enormous but completely crowded lobby of the Sprint Center.

All of them were wearing badges form some sports magazine, newspaper, gossip column or television station. Some had camera men or photographers with them while they prepped themselves and spoke amongst each other, causing a loud hum of words to drift through the air.

"Hmmm. Is that a challenge?"

Edward pulled me out of my trance with his thick voice.

"You bet your ass it is."

A hand came out to touch my shoulder through the sea of people. I had been on the edge of the crowd, my body almost completely pressed up against the large glass walls of the lobby. I spun around to see a security guard, holding a piece of paper in his hand and a small smile on his elderly face.

"Are you, Miss Swan, m'am?"

The man couldn't have been younger than sixty but he was still in good shape for his age and was perfectly polite. I gave him a small smile before nodding silently.

He returned the grin, nodding and motioning me to follow him around the crowd. The piece of paper in his hand was none other than a picture of me, which he handed back and asked me to give back to Edward as soon as possible. It was incredibly adorable for Edward to send someone to look after me but maybe someone who wasn't on the verge of breaking a hip?

"You really shouldn't challenge me, Miss Swan," Edward growled teasingly as the elderly man led me into

"And why not, Mr. Masen?" I whispered. "I can take you any day."

The elderly man didn't seem to hear my conversation, nor the massive crowds of people around me. They were all off in their own worlds and I was sure the elderly man probably couldn't hear anything less that a blow horn.

"By the beatings you gave your cousins last night, I have no doubt in my mind that you can," Edward snorted.

"Damn straight!" I laughed.

Edward was silent for a moment as the elderly man took me into a private elevator. That slightly alerted some of the paparazzi around, since the elevator was only used for the fighters and whoever went with them to be interviewed but by the time they realized what was going on, it was too late. The doors had closed and I was already on my way up to the level Edward was at.

The security guard kept his distance, staring up at numbers that passed by without stopping. It was sort of nice getting the VIP treatment, but I had to admit I wasn't used to it.

"Do you think they hate me?" Edward said in resignation.

I let out a soft sigh, "No. Not hate. Strongly _dislike_ at the moment, but not hate. Swan's are not hateful people."

Edward laughed at my joke, making his tension drift away.

"That's good to know."

"I would watch your back for a little while, though," I chuckled.

"Why?"

"Oh, no reason. You just might get jumped by my cousins."

"I thought you said Swan's aren't hateful people?"

"I never said they weren't the type to retaliate, though."

"Well that's reassuring."

"Isn't it? Don't worry, Edward. I'll protect you."

Edward scoffed as I could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

"Yeah. Right."

I glanced up at the slowly moving numbers. Only a few more floors and I would finally be with Edward. Knots tied tightly in my stomach tightly while butterflies fluttered their wings wildly against my stomach lining.

"You doubt my right hook is better then yours?"

"I do."

I cocked an eyebrow up at that, the doors to the elevator finally opening with a soft _ding_.

"Well then, Mr. Masen. I'm just going to prove to you how…wrong you are," I bit my lip again, feeling a chill crawl up my sensitive skin.

The small man before me led me through the empty lobby that had been yet to be filled with the awaiting reporters downstairs until we came across a back door that read "Only for VIP".

Once inside, I spotted him. His long, lean and perfectly muscled body stood out better than any of the other bodies that fluttered around him frantically. I noticed Alice, Carlsile and Esme sitting down boredly at the far end of the room.

"I'm thoroughly looking forward to it, Miss Swan," his voice doubled through the phone and the air.

I clicked my phone off, throwing it into my clutch I had brought and smirked cockily.

"As do I, Mr. Masen."

Edward spun around quickly, his eyes wide.

"You're here!" he smiled brightly.

His legs strode widely before finally meeting me and lifting me into his arms.

I giggled loudly, kissing his temple as my fingers tangled into his messy but smooth locks.

"I promised I would be," I whispered sweetly.

"Mmm," he hummed into my neck. "I know."

"Bella!" another voice called out to me, making Edward put me down reluctantly.

I looked around my boyfriend's massive body to spot a tiny Alice bouncing up and down in her heels happily.

"Hey Ali!" I cooed back before she launched her attack on me.

Her tiny arms were so tight around my waist I found myself gasping for some much needed air.

"Alice, let the poor girl go before she turns purple," Esme laughed her whimsical laugh behind us.

Alice complied with Esme's wishes quickly but didn't leave my side.

"Hello, Bella," she strode her way over to me fluidly before wrapping gentle arms around my body.

"Goodmorning, Esme," I hugged her back politely.

"Thank you so much for coming, Bella," she rubbed my shoulder like only a mother would. "And," she whispered in my ear. "I'm so sorry about yesterday."

I patted her back reassuringly.

"Yesterday is yesterday, Esme. Don't worry about it."

She pulled back gently, revealing the brightest smile I had to ever have seen. Carlisle was the next to greet me, giving me a slow nod but never approaching me.

"Goodmorning, Miss Swan."

"Mr. Cullen, please, call me Bella."

He smiled sincerely my way, his once shame filled face now brighter. I knew that the actions and words that had been shared the day before would have probably set an awkward tone between us all but as I stood there, reeling in the joy and utter happiness I felt, I realized it would never be like that with these people. They made me feel welcome, as if I were finally apart of their small and intimate circle.

"Alright, alright," Edward pulled me against him. "Leave my girl alone."

He kissed my head gently, whispering words of comfort and love into my ear.

"Your girl?" I pulled back to look at him, his arms still around me.

A large, goofy grin grew over his face, his arms swaying us gently from side to side.

"Yeah. My girl."

I bit down on my lower lips, staring up at up through my heavily made up lashes.

"I think I like the ring of that," I whispered, slowly leaning up so that our lips were barely out of reach of each others.

"I think I do too."

He leaned down, closing the gap between us.

Our lips met in a slow, heavy but sweet kiss. My hand pressed against his newly shaven cheek, running my knuckles and palm up and down his jaw. I wouldn't have minded staying there forever; Edward's gentle arms around me and his passionate, loving lips on mine but Carlisle cut us short with the clearing of his throat.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Carlisle looked red from embarrassment as he spoke. "But I need to speak to you, Bella."

"Not now, please, Carlisle," Edward groaned like an annoyed child, holding me against his chest tightly.

"I'm sorry Edward but it's important." he stepped forward, his face serious.

"What is it, Carlisle?" I pulled away from Edward to stand in front of Carlisle.

Carlisle pursed his lips, looking a bit uncomfortable as his eyes flashed back and forth between Edward's now stiff body and my face.

"Bella," he struggled out. "I need to know exactly if there isn't anything you haven't told Edward yet."

My heart sunk a little bit.

"L-like what?"

Carlisle's eyes grew wary as he spoke.

"Like anything that the press could find out about you and use against you or Edward?"

My entire body began to shut down.

_Oh no…_, my subconscious cowered in fear.

Edward had noticed the pregnant pause between us, my eyes wide in fear of the question.

"Bella?" he pulled me slightly so that I was facing him again. "Bella…what is it, sweetheart?"

My heart was pounding a million beats a minute, a thin sheet of sweat coating my skin. I felt tears of the horrid memory of what I had seen only a few years ago slip out, streaking my cheek slowly.

"Edward," I touched his arm softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" he sounded so worried and confused that it only added to my heartache. "Sorry for what, Bella? What's wrong?"

His cool hand brushed away a stray piece of hair from my face as he leaned down to look me in the eyes, his face level to mine.

"Bella," Carlisle placed a fatherly hand on my shoulder. "It needs to be said. Whatever it is, we need to know. We need to know so the press won't think you lied and bring whoever was involved into it."

His words made sense. I couldn't start out my relationship with Edward with secrets. He had tried but it had only hurt us. Mine wasn't as large of a secret as his but to me, it was still something I was embarrassed about. Something I would never wish on anyone.

"There's only a couple of things," I sniffled softly, allowing Edward to hold me against his chest.

"It's alright, Bella," Esme came behind me rubbing my back comfortingly.

"We are definitely not in a place to judge," Alice snorted, making us all laugh lightly and took my hand in hers.

I nodded, a halfhearted smile on my face as I looked up at Carlisle.

"When I was fifteen, my mother…" I took in a deep breath, trying to suppress the images. "She…she tried to kill herself."

"Oh my god," Esme breathed softly under her breath.

"Oh, Bella," Alice clung to my hand tighter.

Edward just held me, whispering words of love and adoration in my ear. He didn't care that after last night and after everything I had said that I was practically a hypocrite. Carlisle just nodded, jotting something down on his hand with a pen from his pocket.

"When did this happen, Bella?" he continued to write.

"Err…" I tried to concentrate. "I was fifteen…so about six or seven years ago."

"Do you mind if I ask why she did it?"

"Carlisle!" Esme snapped at him.

"I need to know, Esme. They'll use this to their advantage if we don't tell them the entire truth," Carlisle reasoned with pleading eyes.

"No," I looked to Esme. "He's right, Esme. I'm not going to lie."

I took a deep breath, pushing back more and more memories that threatened to come forward. With Edward's arms and words constantly surrounding me, it was only that much easier.

"After my mom had me, her life had become very…complicated. She had to retire from ballet when I turned thirteen due to age and me growing up and then after the divorce from my father, she only became more unhappy," tears began to blur my vision. Alice squeezed my hand in reassurance while Edward remained holding me.

"I came home from school one day, just like I normally did, but when I got there, I noticed mom wasn't anywhere. I thought maybe she had gone to the studio, a place she bought a few years before this to teach ballet. So I went up to the bathroom to take a shower so I could go and meet her…but when I opened the door," sobs escaped my lips now as I shook my head, Edward kissing my temple softly. "There was so much blood and water all over the place. I was so young…I didn't know what to do and I tried so hard to wake her up and get her out of the tub but I was too weak….I couldn't get her out….and I…I…"

"Shhh, Bella," Edward whispered to me. "It's alright, baby. You don't have to tell us anymore."

I shook my head, "They put her in a mental hospital and diagnosed her with bipolar disorder," I looked towards Carlisle. "They put her on medication and she hasn't tried anything since."

Carlisle's emotionless face remained flat. He gave me a nod before whispering one more time.

"Is that it?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Another sob came as I clung to Edward for my fucking life. I was praying for forgiveness. Praying to whatever god that was out there for help and forgiveness. For all the wrong I had done back then. For everything.

"No," I whimpered. "There's something else. Edward,' I looked up into his beautiful green orbs. "I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you but I wasn't ready yet and…it just happened so long ago."

Edward shook his head, pressing his lips lightly against mine.

"Bella, there's nothing that could make my feelings for you change. Like you said, yesterday is yesterday. The past is behind us and there is nothing more but right now. I love you and nothing will change that," he said against my lips.

"Okay," I nodded before focusing back on Carlisle. "I had a miscarriage when I was seventeen."

Esme was the first to grab onto my other hand, her eyes sympathizing with me emphatically. I couldn't go into detail about my own situation and I didn't want to but I could see the pain that I had felt over losing that baby reflected in Esme's eyes.

She knew the pain of losing something so precious in an instant. How it felt for your own body to betray you.

Carlisle wasn't even phased by my words but Edward's breath had become slower. I knew that one would be a tough one to take. Something we'd have to talk about later and maybe go into further detail but for right now that's all I could tell him.

"Do you know who the father was?" Carlisle asked in a hollow tone.

"Carlisle! Enough!" Esme barked loudly.

I placed a hand on her forearm and nodded my head at Carlisle's question.

I glanced up at Edward's saddened green orbs before answering his question.

"Just some guy I dated a long time ago one summer when I went to visit my mom in Florida after she moved there. He didn't even know…I doubt he even remembers my name." I chuckled bitterly, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.

Carlisle gave me a slight smile before giving me a curt nod of thanks and walking out to talk on his cellphone.

"You okay?" Alice asked beside me after Edward let me go so he could pace back and forth.

"I'm fine," I lied, watching Edward intently.

His head was hung low as he paced slowly back and forth. I couldn't see the look on his face thanks to the hair that hung in his face.

"He's not mad," Esme whispered to me. "He's hurting because you were hurt."

I turned to look at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Esme smiled down at me, wiping my tears and probably running mascara.

"Silly girl….don't you know that boy loves you more than anything on the face of this earth?"

I turned to see Edward still pacing and looked back at Esme's serene expression.

"But he….and I….we…" I stuttered, unable to digest everything she was saying.

Yes, I had heard it from Alice and from Edward himself but it wasn't until Esme had pointed it out to me right then and there that I understood. Edward loved me, even after all my dirty little secrets, he loved me.

Esme put a firm arm around me, hugging me close to her side.

"Don't think about it, Bella. Don't over analyze and try to find some reason to run away. He loves you, honey. And he doesn't love anyone besides Alice and Carlisle."

I drank it in. Every bit of information I was given, the feeling of letting everything out and having the weight of my shoulder finally lifted. Everything I was feeling wasn't heavily thought about. It wasn't planned. It just was. And it was overwhelming. Scary and beautiful all together.

Alice and Esme walked to the other end of the room as I stood there, watching him some more. I felt like an idiot, watching and realizing a world of new emotions I had never felt before and not acting on it.

When he finally stopped and looked up, Edward smiled. Actually smiled. After everything I had just told him….after all the imperfections I held, he was still smiling that beautiful crooked grin of his at me, his eyes not showing one bit of remorse or regret. Just love.

"Edward…" I stepped forward. "I really was going to tell you. I swear. It was just…I wasn't ready yet. Those wounds…they are still very open to me still. I couldn't-"

"Bella," Edward stopped me, his eyes full of a beautiful fire. "Stop."

He strode over to me, his arms encircling me once again.

"I told you. I love you. Nothing is going to change that. I understand and even though it took you a while to finally trust me and some badgering from Carlisle," we both chuckled, our foreheads pressed together. "I finally get to see you. All of you…and it only makes me love you more."

"More?" I whispered.

"Bella, I love you more and more everyday. Don't you see that?"

The look in his eyes only reinforced his passionate words. He was beautiful, passion and love intertwined all together.

"I love you," he whispered once again.

My heart couldn't take it anymore. It was as if I was on emotion overload and I was about to burst right there in his hold, his arms wrapped around me indefinitely. I clung onto him, my mouth shaping into words I couldn't get out as I pressed my cheek onto his chest. When I could finally catch my breath and regain my voice, I finally pushed against the walls of my diaphram and-

"Mr. Masen," a small man with a black headset on called out from behind a door to my right. "They are ready for you and Miss Swan."

Edward smiled brilliantly down at me, wiping under my eyes and called for Carlisle, Alice and Esme as they all came around us. Before I could take another breath, Edward's hand was in mine and we were stepping into a world full of flashes, screaming voices and blinding lights.

The small man I had seen before led us up onto a platformed area. We sat down and to our left was Edward's next opponent with his own team at his side. James Hall was a smug bastard, knowing that since he was already ranked second in the world for lightweights that he had pretty much as much power as he needed. But the bitch played dirty and didn't fight fair. That's how he earned his title.

I ripped my eyes off the tall, hunched figure of James Hall and focused back on Edward as paparazzi attacked him and I with questions right off the back. Carlisle sat beside me, Alice and Esme next to him while I remained right beside Edward, Our hand and fingers interlocked under the table.

Edward leaned over to whisper right next to my ear, "I love you."

I wanted more than anything to tell him how I felt. To scream it to the high heavens but, of course, a fucking reporter interjected right as Carlisle said we would be taking questions.

"My question is for Mr. Masen," a tall, middle aged looking man from some boring looking magazine asked first.

Edward leaned forward, his mouth closer to the thin, black microphone.

"Yes?" he gave the man a genuine smile.

"Mr. Masen, if you don't mind me asking, who is the lovely young woman sitting beside you today?" the man pointed a pen towards me but remained looking at Edward.

Edward laughed lightly, sent me a sneaky wink and replied in a low voice.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen. I have the pleasure of announcing this young woman as my girlfriend; Isabella Marie Swan."

The crowd roared beyond control, cameras flashing wildly in my face as I tried not to look too stunned. Esme and Alice just sent me loving smile, reassuring me of anything and everything.

Edward picked another random reporter, seeing through the stone face and obviously uninterested faces. The story was worth money and whoever go t the most information got the most money. I understood how it worked.

"Yes?" Edward pointed to the reporter.

"Yes!" the woman perked up at being chosen. "This question is for Ms. Swan."

My eyes were huge by the time she finished her question, Edward chuckling and trying desperately to conceal his laughter. I took the mic nervously, leaning over to speak into it shakily.

"Err…yes?" I said.

"Ms. Swan, how long have you and Mr. Masen been seeing each other?" she aksed flatly.

"Um," I looked to Edward for some help. He was far too amused to say anything. "A few weeks?"

"Ms. Swan!" another called. "How did you and Mr. Masen meet?"

"I'm a reporter for the New York Newspaper. I had the privilege of getting the very first private interview with Edward Masen, as some of you may have seen published this morning. After our…_interesting_ interview, Edward invited me to watch a charity match between Emmet McCarty and himself. I went and things just happened after that."

I left out the intense sex session that had happened after that fight but I didn't think they'd need to know about that. Not a thing.

"Ms. Swan," yet another, stone face reporter waved his hand in the air.

"Yes?" I pointed to him.

I sort of felt bad, taking Edward and Mr. Hall's thunder like I was doing but at the same time, I was sure that if I even tried to stop it, it would just get worse. So I went with it, enjoying the questions here and there.

_Attention whore! _My inner tomboy scoffed.

_Shut up, skank!, _Barbie sneered. _Smile pretty for the camera!_

"What are your feelings towards Mr. Masen?" the man asked flatly.

I was slightly caught off guard by his questions. I wouldn't think that is was morally right to pry that far into someone's life but when I saw his bade - People Magazine - I understood.

"How do you mean?" I asked, slightly caught off guard.

The man rolled his eyes as Edward squeezed my hand under the table once more. I glanced at him, his green eyes soft and light in the florescent lights above. The flashing cameras only made them shine that much more, making my heart's epiphany only grow more so.

"I mean, Ms. Swan, how do you feel about Mr. Masen. Do you love him? Is it a casual relationship? Are you friends with benefits?" he asked in a most uninterested voice.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the man's obvious yearn to leave but answered as best I could.

"It's still very early in our relationship, sir. But I think…" I hesitated, looking over at Edward once more.

He flashed me a beautiful smile, his hand squeezing just a bit more for reassurance. His crooked grin was only taunting me, making the words that filled my mind and heart need to erupt.

I didn't know how to put my feelings into words. It was the most difficult part of this stage. The confusion. How could someone possibly put their emotions into words? It was impossible.

I could certainly try, though. I didn't take my eyes off of Edward.

"I _know_ I love, Mr. Masen."

Edward's breath hitched as the crowd roared with more questions once again.

"Alright, alright!" James's trainer, Elaizer Denali, cut in. "Can we please get back to the topic of our fighters?"

After that the interview went pretty well. Edward and James both talked about how they were both looking so forward to fighting each other and how much they respected one another, even though I knew Edward hated the man.

Both men weighed in, took a couple of muscle shots after changing into tee shirts and shorts and then changing back into their suits. After everything was over, the crowds were dismissed and Edward, Alice, Carlisle, Esme and I returned to our room behind the platform.

"Bella," Edward gasped once all doors were closed. He lifted me into his arms, warm lips crashing onto mine.

"I love you," I whispered against his lips.

His lips crawled up into a smile against mine.

"Do you know how long I've waited for you to say that?" he chuckled.

"Too long," I touched my lips to his again.

"Hmm," he moaned. "I love you too. So much…"

….

"You don't have to tell me."

"But I want to."

"No you don't."

"I really do."

"You do? Honestly?"

"Edward, of course I do," I sighed into his bare chest. "You deserve to know and I trust you…I love you."

Edward raised a hand to touch my cheek as my chin rested on the smooth, hard muscles of his chest. His eyes engulfed my very being as they glowed through the darkness surrounding us. After the interview things became harder then I would have liked to admit. I thought I had been prepared for the enormous swarm of paparazzi that would hound and badger me, but I wasn't.

Edward had tried to keep them off of me as much as possible along with Carlisle and Alice but their attempts were miniscule compared to the paparazzo's muscle. I had found at least four bruises on my ribs, arms and shin from where they had tried to capture photos of me behind Edward's massive body, only making Edward livid.

He had wanted to sue but I told him how easily I bruised and he kind of cooled down. He still wanted somebody's head on a platter for my marks but I didn't care. I just needed him.

We decided to stay at his apartment just talking, eating, watching movies and relaxing the rest of the day as I tried with all my heart to get him to calm down. Let's just say, I hid his cell phone in a place he definitely wouldn't ever look and disconnected the landline incase his head got too hot.

"I love you too," he whispered.

"Edward," my voice was so low it just sounded like a breath as I ran my fingers over the skin of his bicep. "I don't want to keep another thing from you. That seems to be the thing with loving you. I've kept things from so many people for so long and it makes me sick to my stomach to think that you'll hate me for what I'm about to tell you…but the feeling I get when I think about keeping this from you….it's a million times worse."

His crooked little smile glowed in the darkness, reassuring me that no matter what I said, he would always love me back. It would never change.

"I just don't want you to tell me when you aren't ready to reopen that wound, Bella," Edward sighed. "I was ready to tell you about my mother the entire time I knew you. I could have shouted it from the fucking rooftops if I wanted to. I had come to terms with those things. But the things you mentioned earlier today, Bella…those things are so deep, so personal that I don't want you to rip yourself apart just to justify yourself to me."

"But that's just it," I sat up, his hand in mine. "It's not a justification, Edward. I don't need to justify myself to anyone! I just…I haven't talked about this in so long and I feel like if I tell you…it won't go away but it might be easier to deal with."

His eyes were still doubtful but I could see that as he lay beneath me that he was perfectly fine with knowing my past. He was eager to know. He lifted himself up, crossing his legs in front of him as I had, nothing on but a pair of sweat pants covering them.

His hand slipped back into mine, warming and melting us together. We were both ready.

"I," I took in a deep, shaky breath. "I was seventeen, a senior in high school on spring break and…completely fucking stupid. I mean, most teenagers are at that age but I was just reckless," I chuckled. "I had gone to visit my mom in Florida when she lived there for a couple of years after a couple of months of living with my dad. I didn't particularly enjoy living with my dad but after my mom's big melt down, I was sort of forced to.

"I had met a couple of new friends at the beach through a mutual friend I had known since we were little and he was mixed in with the group. I didn't really talk to him then but later on there was a party or something and we sort of hit it off."

Edward's face stared at me in worry as my body began to shake, goose flesh rising on my skin.

"Bella…" he begged but I ignored him and continued.

I couldn't stop now.

"I must have gotten really drunk because it's still all really blurry, almost five years later, but I do remember saying it was okay. I gave up my virginity to him and for the next couple of weeks together we spent almost every waking moment at each other's side. Until I had to go back to Forks," I felt the tears flowing down my cheeks now, Edward's hand wiping them away. "I had only been home with Charlie, my dad, a couple of weeks when I noticed some changes. I was getting sick all the time, my moods would turn at the drop of a hat and food had never seemed so unappealing to me."

The hardest part of the whole saying it out loud part, was that I had to say it out loud. I had been suppressing it for so long and now that I had to say something, I felt naked. Like I was baring my soul to this man before me.

The scary part of it all was that…I didn't mind one bit.

"A friend from school that I knew wouldn't tell anyone bought me a pregnancy test and soon I figured out I was pregnant. I was so scared that I was in a state of shock for almost four hours, just sitting there and looking at that little pink plus sign," waterfalls seemed to be falling from my eyes. "I was so stupid and so scared that I actually…I actually decided that I had to get rid of it."

Edward's eyes nor face reacted to my words. He looked at me with love, reassurance and empathy. He didn't judge me like I feared so many would.

"I was just a stupid kid and as I sat there in that god-awful clinic I just kept thinking to myself that it was wrong. I was wrong for even considering it and when they called my name I…I bolted. I couldn't stand giving up a piece of me like that.

"I got home later that night, ready to tell my dad but he didn't get home from work for a few more hours so I decided a nap would probably help my nerves. I had only been asleep a couple of hours when I felt the blood and the enormous pain in my side," sobs wracked my chest, making my entire body shake with horror.

Edward reached out, gripping my hand tightly before kissing it. That made me calm down a bit more but that was it. I could still feel the anxiety and heartache building inside me and Edward couldn't stop it. No matter what he did.

"I cleaned up my bed as best I could and buried it bellow a tree in my father's backyard. It was the best I could think of. No one knew about it, not even the friend that had bought me the pregnancy test. I had just told her it was a false alarm and soon everything went back to normal. I graduated high school and then college and now…here I am," I looked up at Edward with tear blurred eyes. "But Edward, there isn't a damn day that goes by that I don't think about that baby. I had only known about it for a moment but…there was no one in this world that loved that precious little miracle more than I did. No one."

I hunched over, my tears and sobs finally getting to me before Edward rushed me into his arms. His chest became my pillow, his shoulder there for me to cry on. The pain of knowing my own body had betrayed me was horrifying. It stung so badly that I didn't know what else to do at that time. Eventually I had learned to deal with it by myself. I figured it was better not to tell anyone and just let it be my secret.

"It wasn't your fault, Bella," Edward whispered into my hair. His hand rubbed my back soothingly as my crying began to subside. "You tried…it wasn't your fault."

"I know," I sniffled. "I know there was nothing I could have done but…sometimes I just wonder…I wonder how different my life would have been or who that little person would have been. He or she would have probably been a little over four now, starting school and running around like any toddler would. I wonder what it would've looked like and how it would've acted. I wonder if I would've finished college and if I would have been able to give them everything they wanted. I think about it so much, Edward, that sometimes I think it was all for the best. I was so young…does that make me a bad person?"

Edward's eyes bored down at me, his forehead gently touching mine.

"No, Bella. Not in the slightest," he shook his head. "You were young, just like you said. You couldn't have handled a kid, gone to school and achieved what you have today."

"But you did," I whimpered. "You raised Alice, finished school and became what you are today."

"I was forced into it, Bella. I love Alice and would do it all over again, but it was hard for the both of us. Being sixteen and having to put food on the table by getting the shit beat out of you instead of going out with girls, partying and having fun was hard. Incredibly so. I don't wish that life on anyone, sweetheart," he nuzzled my cheek. "I'm not saying it was a good thing, what happened, Bella. But sometimes…things happen for a reason."

"I know," I breathed. "But Edward…I would have done it. I loved that baby. More than anything I loved that baby."

"I know, Bella. I know," Edward kissed my forehead and neck gently. "And maybe one day," his eyes focused back on mine, his hand touching my cheek. "Maybe one day it'll happen again."

Images of a little Edward sitting on my lap with his father's eyes and smile was both overwhelming and completely what my battered and beaten heart needed. I could see myself with Edward in the long run. It was early still, I knew that, but Edward was everything I could ever ask for. He wasn't perfect but then again, neither was I.

I wrapped my hand around his that rested on my cheek.

"I hope so."


	14. Chapter 14: Quick On Your Feet

**Something Worth Fighting For  
****Chapter 14. Quick On Your Feet**

**Isabella Swan**

* * *

**So inspiration hit me because at the moment my husband and daughter are visiting my in-laws in Portugal again. We usually go four or five times a year and since we won't be there for Christmas, it's our time with them up there. **

**Peace and quiet will give you strokes of genius, you know. The baby is doing well and I'm starving so after this is posted, I'm going to eat(: **

**This chapter is very fluffy. It's just going into Bella's past a bit more. No real plot makers here. Hope you enjoy(:**

* * *

…_it is not only by personal preference, what with being so enraptured with Mr. Masen as a fan, but it is with personal experience that I found this tough, thickly skinned boxer to be just the opposite when you get to know him. He not only quick on his feet when in the ring but also quick with whit. He can take a punch just as well as he can hold a conversation and take quick care in his movements as well as caring about what he says and how he is portrayed to people. Overall, Edward Masen is not only one of the most talented boxers in the world - fact - but also what seems to be one of the kindest. Something of a People's Hero in the making. _

Reading my own words in the newspaper was strange. Not in a bad way but in a way that I couldn't get used to. I had been getting calls and offers to my office most of the day after getting a slew of great reviews on the piece but none of them were really what I was after. Not the big dog I wanted; The New York Times.

Since I had moved to New York, I had been itching to apply for the Times but I always found a way to psyche myself out and just avoid the subject until I completely forgot about it.

I smiled down at my work, sending a silent prayer up to God so that my words might be heard. I set the paper down on my desk and turned back to my laptop, noticing a new message in my email. For a moment I thought about just brushing it off. I was done reading aimless messages from papers I honestly didn't want to write for anymore than I wanted to write for the paper I was already at, but decided just to open it.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it was from Edward.

I clicked on the folder, opening it for me to read.

…

**To: **Isabella Swan

**Subject: **Busy?

**Date: **October 1, 2010 12: 15 pm

**From: **Edward Masen

Miss Swan,

As you may know, your column on none other than myself has become a huge hit. I hold myself accountable for this. I say this calls for a celebration of enormous proportions but since you are hard at work at the moment and I have just left from a brutal round of training with Carlisle, I suggest a lunch date.

I won't take no for an answer.

Edward A. Masen

Masen Inc., WBA Enterprise

…

I couldn't help but chuckle at the email. Edward knew exactly the right time to stick his beautiful head out and make my day seem a little brighter. I sighed and leaned down to touch my fingers to the keyboard, typing away frantically.

…

**To: **Edward Masen

**Subject: **Famished.

**Date: **October 1, 2010 12: 15 pm

**From: **Isabella Swan

Mr. Masen,

If it weren't for the fact that I am irrevocably in love with you, I would have decided against your request for lunch but since there is a bit of emotion blocking my good sense, I accept.

Name the time and place.

Isabella M. SwanLeading Reporter, The New York Newspaper

…

"Ms. Swan?" the familiar sound of Jessica's voice popped in through my open door. I didn't take my eyes off my laptop.

"Yes, Jessica?"

She pursed her lips before speaking in fear, "Mr. Newton is here, Ms. Swan. He wants to speak with you."

I bit my lip, suppressing a groan as an email popped into my inbox.

…

**To: **Isabella Swan

**Subject: **Excellent!

**Date: **October 1, 2010 12: 15 pm

**From: **Edward Masen

I'll come and pick you up. Be ready.

I love you.

Edward A. Masen

Masen Inc., WBA Enterprise

…

Fuck! Mike would want to talk for fucking ever and Edward would be here within fifteen to twenty minutes. I needed to get out of here and fast.

"Tell him I'm busy or something, Jessica!" I hissed, contemplating the pros and cons of hiding under my desk.

She looked at me with wide eyes, pleading for me just to let him in. Jessica had something of a crush on Mike Newton. I had heard her on several occasions telling her friends on the company line about how "delicious" he looked everyday. Her words. Definitely not mine.

She didn't want to have to go up to him and refuse him because she was only the messenger and people had a tendency to shoot at them first.

"He says it's important, Ms. Swan."

I grumbled to myself, quickly replying to Edward in affirmation before telling Jessica to let him in. It wasn't five seconds after she left that Mike came storming in, his eyes wide with rage and face almost purple from anger.

"How could you?" he snarled, fists slamming down on my desk.

Almost instantly my defenses went up. I was smart to wear flats today, making it easy to kick, run and pounce if I needed to. Ways to get him away from me rushed through my head but they all stopped when I noticed a envelope in his hand.

"What are you talking about, Mike?" I asked calmly.

My eyes never left the envelope.

"I'm talking about how you could tell me yes to a date when you obviously had a boyfriend already!"

He pulled out some gossip magazine out of his back pocket and flopped it down to show Edward and I getting into a car together after the pre-fight interview. The article was supposed to talk about how I was the first woman people had seen Edward with throughout his entire career and how I must have been something special and blah, blah, blah.

It was all just crap that I didn't want to read but Mike obviously did.

I leaned back in my chair, fodling my hands in my lap as I glanced up at my employer.

"Mike," I said quietly. "Edward and I hadn't become public yet. If I had turned you down so quickly, questions would have risen. When questions come up, lies form. I'm not one for lying."

"I wouldn't have asked questions, Bella!" he fumed.

"Yes you would've, Mike. And I couldn't risk it. You know that."

"So now your keeping things from me? What's next, bella?" he threw the envelope my way. The heading was addressed to me but at the very corner of the envelope was the only name I had been looking for the entire day. From The New York Times. "Are you going to ditch us for a better paper now? What now? Huh?"

Mike's voice became totally tuned out to my ears as I ripped the letter open, reading the paper inside.

_Dear Ms. Isabella Swan_,

"I can't believe this, Bella!"

_We have had many of our head editors, staff and executives read your column on Edward A. Masen_,

"And to think, I was considering giving you a Christmas bonus! Well now you can forget all about that, missy!"

_And it seems that all of us agree when we say that your piece was not only charming, endearing, light and a breath of fresh air but also completely factual_, you got down to some very serious points with Mr. Masen.

"I really liked you, Bella…"

You conquered what many writers would kill for and at such a young and prosperous age. You have proven to us that not only have future generations come up to some very high standard but reached exponential expectations.

"Bella? Are you even listening to me?"

_Therefore, we would like to welcome you, if you will, onto our staff as a reporter of The New York Times. We would like to hear back from you within the week and we are hoping that you will accept our offer. _

_Thank you for your time and we hope to hear from you soon. _

_Sincerely, _

_Angela Webber_

_Editor and Chief, The New York Times_

"I quit," I whispered to myself.

Mike stared down at me with wide eyes.

"What?"

I clung to my letter for dear life, feeling tears of joy fill my eyes.

"I quit!" I laughed, my voice louder. "I quit!"

Mike was taken aback, stumbling back until his knees hit one of the chairs in front of my desk.

"Y-you can't quit," Mike stuttered out. "You have to give us two weeks notice! It's in your contract!"

I fumbled around my desk, gathering things into my messenger bag like my laptop and the few personal things I had kept with me at the office like pictures and my diploma.

"Sorry, Mike," I sniffled, wiping my tears. "But I fucking _hate_ this paper. I hate you and I hate everyone in this hellhole."

I slung my bag around my shoulders and bolted for the door, ready to tell Edward and celebrate. Mike simply sat down in the chair in front of my old desk, staring off into space flatly, his jaw touching the floor.

"Have a nice life, Mike, because I know I will."

After that, making my way down to Edward was a blur of happiness. When I reached the parking garage, knowing he would be there after a few text messages, I couldn't help but fucking run to his Aston and flinging the door open before launching myself inside.

Edward stared at me with wide eyes but didn't have time to get in a word before I crushed my lips to his, heat, passion and excitement filling our kiss. When I finally pulled away, we were both panting heavily. Edward's hair a mess and lips smeared with my lipstick. His eyes were wide with shock but also glazed with lust.

"What was that for?" he chuckled after a beat.

"I got it!" I panted excitedly.

His teeth beamed my way.

"Got what?"

"The Times!" I squealed. "They want me! I got a reporting job at The Times!"

"Oh my god! Bella! That's so awesome!"

He pulled me into his arms, sealing his excitement with mine as he kissed my temple.

"I can't believe this," I whispered to him. "Everything is so perfect…"

"You deserve this, Bella. You've worked so hard and-"

I stopped him abruptly, crushing my lips to his once again, my hands lingering on his face after pulling away.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He stared at me in confusion, his brows knit slightly together.

"Why are you thanking _me_?"

"Because if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been noticed. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be me again. If it weren't' for you I wouldn't be…whole."

"Oh Bella," Edward sighed. "It was never me. You did everything. You wrote that story. I just sat there and looked handsome."

I couldn't help but giggle at his cocky smile. He was right, I had done a lot when it came to myself and my career but Edward had been there for the past couple of months through thick and thin. He had captivated me as much as I had him.

"I love you," I whispered against his lips.

He smiled into our kiss, sighing in content.

"I love you, Bella."

"Now," I cleared my throat, leaning back into my seat. "Can we go eat? I'm starving!"

Edward pulled the car into drive and nodded.

"Sure, babe. Whatever you want."

…

Skin against skin, lips against lips. The thick air pressing against my sensitive flesh and flowing my lungs was mixed with our heavy pants and the scent of sweat and love.

My skin was slick with sweat as Edward's body pressed against mine.

"Edward…" I breathed, feeling my eyes roll back.

"Mmmm," he moaned into my breast.

His lips and tongue were latched onto my nipple, swirling, nipping and lapping at the pebbled flesh. My fingers tangled into his locks, sending a silent prayer that he'd stay right there as he moved slowly inside of me. Painfully slow.

Edward's hand slipped under my knee with gentle determination. His thrusts into were slow, calculated. He was driving me crazy and loving every moment of it.

"Please, Edward," I pleaded. "Faster. Harder. Anything!"

He shook his head, pulling his lips off of me. Once his hands had pulled my legs further apart, making me feel every inch of him as he pressed into me.

"No, baby," he panted, his eyes boring into mine. "I'm going to take my time with you. Worship every bit of your body," his hand ran down my stomach, making me arch my back off the bed completely. "Until I feel," kiss on my stomach. "that you," kiss on my belly button. "Have been fully," kiss on breast. "Satisfied."

He began to slow even more, my body quivering in ecstasy. His hands worked on every bit of my skin, kneading and pressing on all the right spots. His lips and mouth worked against me as well, licking and speaking words of worship on my skin.

"I love you," I panted, knowing I was close. "Oh god, I love you…"

Edward placed his lips on mine, pain and determination mixing on his face as he tried to hold on for dear life. His arms wound around my body, his stomach flexing and curling to meet me pelvis to pelvis. I placed my hands on his ribs, not caring how slow he was moving anymore.

"Fuck!" Edward cried, flinging his head back as he struggled to remain at a languid pace.

I hitched both my legs on the small of his back, trying to keep him close to me as he began to move faster. Our breaths, our heartbeats…everything was one. Our bodies were one as well as our souls.

I placed my forehead to his shoulder, feeling tears of pleasure and joy forming in my eyes.

The warmth of my climax radiated everywhere, starting in my toes until it hit every nerve and fiber in me, sending my wails of ecstasy throughout Edward's apartment and bedroom. It didn't take Edward too long to follow right behind.

He tried to pull out, worried his weight was too much on me but I locked my legs around him, never allowing him to move. He relaxed on top of me, his weight actually feeling great on top of me. His forearms kept most of him up but I wouldn't mind having him all on me.

His lips placed languid, lazy kisses along my shoulders and neck until he met my lips, our eyes meeting each other's as we kissed.

Hands, legs, lips and hearts all got lost in between the mix of skin and love. It wasn't forced, wasn't painful. Everything about being with Edward was easy, fantastic and complete ecstasy.

I reached up to touch his cheek, palming his skin gently.

"I love you," I hummed.

His eyes closed, rolled back in harmony as he heard the words. His forehead touched against me.

"You're going to kill me, you know that," he chuckled softly.

I smiled, shaking my head.

"Well I wasn't hoping for that response but I'd prefer you not to die. I could really use you," I teased.

"Oh?" he cocked an eyebrow up at me. "Use me for what?"

I giggled wildly before kissing the tip of his nose. He tasted of salt and love. Magnificent.

"What do you think?"

"Careful now, my love," he growled playfully. "Keep talking like that and I might have to pull out."

"I dare you to try," I challenged, locking my ankles easily.

"Is that another challenge, Miss Swan?"

"You bet."

"I told you not to challenge me."

"But I did."

"I can see that."

"What are you going to do about it?"

Edward made a move to force himself back but my legs kept him down, against me. To me it didn't even feel as if he was trying but when he fell back down against me, his face and eyes widened in shock.

In a fit of determination, Edward placed his hands beside my head, making me press my lips together as I tried not to laugh at his attempts. He tried to force himself but once again, my leg strength was much more than the rest of my body. Edward came crashing back down, his face still shocked.

"H-how…?"

"I told you," I shrugged, untangling my legs and body form under him until I rolled off the bed. "Seventeen years of dancing and then the rest of my life spent working on boxing with my cousins. I'm not weak, Edward. Not even close."

Edward lay on his side, elbow propping his head up so he could stare at me as I pulled on a pair of clean underwear I kept at his place now, a pair of huge, grey but very comfy sweat pants and a sports bra.

"What time is it?" Edward asked as I pulled my hair up into a ponytail.

"Five thirty," I looked at his digital clock beside the bed. "Perfect time."

"Perfect time for what? Why are you getting dressed?"

I smirked at him, throwing on my favorite sneakers and an easy tank top I only used for times like these.

"I'm going to show you what I'm really made of."

…

After half an hour of trying to pry Edward out of bed and fussing pasta couple of exhausted paparazzi, I was able to bring Edward down to the studio I hadn't visited in almost four months. Cars lined the darkened parking lot, just as I knew there would be.

I had been so busy with life that dancing, my hobby, had taken a backseat. I hadn't stepped foot in a studio for almost four months and this one would be difficult. Especially with Edward at my side.

When we finally made our way inside and up to the level where music was already blaring, Edward was in awe. There was a small group of people about my age dancing as we stood there, mirrors reflecting every motion and movement they made.

My entire life I had danced ballet and contemporary but when I made the trek to New York I had taken up a bit of hip hop here and there. I loved it and thought that it was a better form of dancing when you just wanted to fool around instead of becoming so serious.

Edward was gaping at the wild movements of the women and men before us, their focus on the beat and rhythm of the movement. Their style of dance was impeccable, even if it was hip hop, and untamed and wild form of dance. It was feverish and deliberant. Rebellious and beautiful. I loved it.

I was lost in the music as well as the movement when I heard a familiar voice squeal out.

"Bella!" I was thrown to the floor before I could even open my mouth and see who it was.

It was the voice that threw the dancers off. And my name.

"Leah!" I groaned, trying to push her off of me as best I could. "What the hell? Are you trying to snap me in half?"

When I looked up to see one of my best friends and former dancers standing before me I noticed how awesome Leah looked. Her long, shining black hair hand grown, even if it was in a ponytail. She had gotten a couple of tattoos to match the one she had gotten on her upper arm a couple years back, making her russet skin pop even more. She wore sneakers, a pair of sweats that matched my own and a sweatshirt.

"Sorry," she laughed, offering me her hand. "I just haven't seen you around these parts for a while."

"I know," I rubbed my hip after standing up and pulled her into a tight hug. "But I came to show friend what a badass I can be."

She gave me an inquisitive glance before spotting a stunned Edward.

"He doesn't believe you got skills?" she placed her hands on her hips, winking at me.

She liked him.

I played along.

"Nope," I shook my head. "So I was hoping you could help me show him what kind of skills I got under my belt."

"Shit!" she scoffed at him. "You're in for a treat, guy. C'mon, B."

I chuckled and told Edward to just watch as I got reacquainted with some of my former dance buddies. There were a lot of new comers to our old group but from what I could tell they all loved dance as much as Leah and I always had. An important aspect to both of us when it came to our group.

"You think you can get the moves down, B? Or are you a little rusty?" Leah teased as she made her way to the front of the group.

I snorted at her, rolling my eyes.

"What do you think?"

She shrugged, and called to the class.

"Alright guys," she called over them. "Let's show her what we've got."

The music started, pounding against the walls and windows as I watched Leah closely. every move she made was easily stored in my memory, my body moving slightly so I could remember in a moment. She was testing me. Making sure I still had what it took to dance. Fuck if I didn't.

I could feel Edward's eyes on me as I tried to memorize everything. It wasn't easy to focus with him here but I could do it. I had to prove not only to Leah and Edward that I could still do this but also to myself. As much as I loved boxing, I missed dancing every now and then. It was good for the soul.

When they finished, Leah called me in. her arm failing and people in the group around her giving her inquisitive glances. They didn't think I could do it but as I made my way to the front, standing right beside Leah, I knew I could.

"Ready?" she asked me, our reflections staring back at us.

I took a deep breath, feeling my heart start to pump enormous amounts of adrenaline into my blood.

"As I'll ever be."

Leah nodded, making the music come on within moments. My body moved easily, my movements swift and easy as I shifted in and out of each count. I couldn't help but smile at my friend and myself as I followed each movement perfectly.

When the song finally ended and our movements ceased, I could feel the need to do more. I needed. It and had missed it more than anything.

"She's back!" Leah cried happily, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I never left, L," I laughed gently. "I never left."

"You want to try a different style?" she asked eagerly.

"So early in the morning?" I laughed. "I thought morning runs are for hip hop?"

"We can make an exception for you, B. You haven't danced in a while, huh?"

"No. Just boxing."

"Wow. That sucks."

"Eh," I shrugged playfully. "I like it."

"You're boy," she cocked her head towards Edward's direction. "He a dancer?"

I shook my head, "Boxer."

"Thought so. He's got the body for it."

"He's number three in the world."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I saw something about him and you in a magazine a couple days back. What's that about?"

"He's a celebrity. Comes with the territory I guess."

"Well he's hot," Leah smirked. "That's a plus."

I chuckled, placing my shin on my shoulder as I stared at Edward. He sent a smile my way, winking at me playfully as he leaned against one of the enormous poles that were scattered throughout the studio.

"Yeah. He is."

Leah was silent for a moment, her eyes on me from what I could feel.

"You love him."

It wasn't a question but it was the truth so I didn't mind.

"I do," I looked back at her softly. "I love him."

Leah rolled her eyes, a large, goofy smile on her lips.

"C'mon," she nudged my shoulder. "Let's get to dancing."

"Contemporary?" I asked, sliding off my shoes and sweatpants. I had put on tights on top of my underwear so I could dance easier so I had been lucky.

"Sure," I nodded, throwing my stuff off to the side and taking my place in front of the mirror.

Edward still stood there, watching me with careful eyes. He wanted to see what I could do and I would show him what I was. Who I was.

"Ready?" Leah called from the sound booth.

"Play it!"

The song came on strong, my body making angles and shifts I forgot were possible. It had been a while since I had choreographed anything and it was rough but I really enjoyed the articulate and powerful force I created within myself. I pushed harder than I ever had, legs reaching up and jumps at least three to four feet off the air. Pointing toes and rapid heart beats. Rhythm and style all combine into one.

It was all so fluid. So angry and passionate. Everything I wanted and needed.

When I was finished, I knew he could see it.

He could finally see me.

* * *

**I own none of these dances! I did not make nor choreograph these! I am simply using them on a temporary basis!(:**

**Group dance**: http:/www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=rWyqDsfjvbQ

**Bella's Contemporary Solo**: http:/www (dot) you tube (dot) com/watch?v=rWyqDsfjvbQ


	15. Chapter 15: In Our Ring

**Chapter 15. In Our Ring **

**Isabella Swan **

I grunted softly, blowing out a breath of air. My muscles were sore from not only fighting off press on what seemed like a daily basis now but also from lugging around boxes all over what was soon to be my _old_ apartment.

"Can you believe this?" I whispered to Rosalie as she set down yet another box.

"Believe what?"

"This." I motioned towards the five or six boxes in front of us.

All together we probably had twenty all together. She had far more boxes than me so the trade was probably a pretty even 40/60 split between us. I placed my hands on my hips glancing at all the ones that had my name on them.

"My entire life can fit comfortably into five boxes."

I sounded sad, the bitter sweet taste of change lingering on my tongue. Rose must have heard my sorrow, flinging her arm around my shoulders and squeezing me flush against her. I sighed heavily, letting my arms wrap around her waist and my head lay on her shoulder. She rubbed my arm comfortingly.

"Is that all your upset about? The lack of things you own?"

I shrugged, "Not really. It's the fact that all of this," I motioned around the apartment and then between her and I. "Is coming to an end."

"Hey," she nudged me with her hip. "Our friendship will never come to an end."

"We won't be living together anymore, though." I stood up straight and pulled away from her.

"So what?" she snorted as I lifted up a box. "We're going to be three blocks away from each other. Edward's apartment is so close to Emmet's that I can jog there every morning to wake you up like I do every morning!"

I rolled my eyes at her version of waking-Bella-up-gently. A knee to the rips wasn't exactly my definition of gently if I said so myself. Rose lifted up another box off the floor, one of her own as I shrugged. My box was very light in my arms. Probably just clothes.

"I don't know. It's just going to be different not seeing you all the time, Rose," my tone was thick with sorrow. "I've know you how many years now? Moving on is one thing but moving on without my best friend at my side is almost unbearable."

Rose's eyes grew sympathetic, her lips gradually lowering down into a soft frown. She let out a sad sigh, coming over to bump me with her dainty hip.

"You aren't losing me, B. I'll be just a few blocks away if you need me for anything and I promise I won't focus on Emmet like I have been lately. We'll spend more time together. Coffee every Monday and Friday like we always and lunch on Wednesdays and Thursdays?" she offered sweetly.

I smiled wryly up at her, trying my hardest to swallow back the tears that were forming in my eyes. I knew Rosalie meant well and she was more than willing to keep her promises but I also knew that with both our work schedules and now being with our boyfriends on a constant basis, both of them figures of the lime light, that it would gradually become more and more difficult. It was inevitable that even though we were only three blocks away that we would drift apart. I prayed that we wouldn't but I knew it would.

Sometimes I wondered if rose and I were maybe rushing right into things with Edward and Emmet. Yes, we both genuinely had feelings for our significant others but only three months and we were both moving in with them? It was a hard thought to swallow when you had been raised your entire life to despise the thought of monogamy and being tied down. Neither of my parents were fond of the 'M' or 'L' word.

"And we can't stay here anymore, Bella," Rose smiled gently. "The press know about the both of us now and we don't have very much, if any, security here so they can just snap photos all the time if they wanted right outside our windows."

She was right about that. The press had become quite the nuisance. At every turn I had to be careful, even walking out into my own apartment after showering because there was once a guy outside my bedroom window, though about eight feet off the ground, attempting to catch a photo of me in my towel.

When I had told Edward about this, he demanded I move in with him. Emmet did the same, fearing for not only Rosalie's safety but also her personal life. Edward, likewise. I also worried about that. Did Edward just want me to move in with him so he could make sure I was alright at all times or did he genuinely want me there? The entire point of moving in with someone was to establish the next step in your relationship.

If we were jumping things would it damage us?

I took a deep breath, shaking my head clear of all my toxic thoughts.

"I know," I finally caved. "I'm just going to miss you is all."

"And I'll miss you too, Bells. But at some point we have to grow up. Right?"

"I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get all this crap out of here already."

"Whatever you say, Bossy Bella."

I groaned, rolling my eyes as we gathered our boxes into each of our own cars. Edward had sent a couple of highly paid security guards to keep the press at bay from a distance for the day so Rose and I could move out in peace and for that I was extremely grateful. I didn't feel like beating off the cameras and screaming people today.

After all the boxes were packed into our own separate cars Rosalie and I seemed to linger for a little longer than seemed necessary. We walked through the now empty shell of an apartment we had called home for such a long time. Rose was walking slowly, foggy eyed through the kitchen as I paced back and forth through the furnitureless living room.

Visions of Rosalie and I sitting on the very carpet bellow my feet eating cross legged in front of the television that now resided in a storage port somewhere flashed through my mind as well as scenes of her and I dancing around the place like wild women and dragging ourselves in, half dead from a night of partying or studying too hard.

"Tough, huh?" I choked out as rose smiled down at the counter, remembering.

She wiped at her cheek, revealing tears flowing down her face slowly.

"Yeah," she chuckled under her breath. "Very tough."

Our goodbyes were bittersweet but also kind of silly. We were having dinner together a couple nights ahead of us but it was saying goodbye to the apartment we had made a home in that made it so difficult. As I drove away from the apartment complex after a tearful goodbye with Rosalie, I silently said a prayer, hoping that the small yet comfortable apartment I had shared so many memories in would now give someone a new scrap book of memories to build.

I couldn't complain, though. I was on to better things and a bigger life. I was on to see the love of my life.

…

Edward was the first to greet me when I entered the apartment with my very own key he had awarded me with a few days prior to the move. I had only carried in a few of the boxes I had brought with me, security from the downstairs garage helping me out as well.

"Bella!" he beamed, sweeping me into his arms after I shut the door on the security and thanked them for helping me.

I giggled, instantly wrapping my arms around his neck. He was warm and smelled of sunshine and sugar and…Edward. I took in all of him; his intoxicating scent, his warmth, the gentle touch of his white cotton tee shirt and even the feel of his tangled but silky tendrils that brushed my cheek while he held me.

"Hey there, handsome," I whispered huskily into his ear.

He hummed appreciatively at the sound of my voice, sending soft kisses down the sides of my neck.

"I missed you," he hummed.

"I missed you much more."

"Impossible," he protested.

"Nope," I shook my head. "Completely possible."

He somehow managed to swoop my lower body up into his arms, carrying me bridal style farther into the apartment. I let out a tiny squeal, making him laugh and only smile that much wider.

"Edward! I have to put up my stuff!" I pointed to the boxes left beside the door.

He just let out a soft rumble of a laugh emit from his chest, carrying my body effortlessly in his arms.

"We can deal with that later. Right now, I just want to enjoy having you home."

He sounded brilliant, his voice glowing with joy. His expression was probably ruined by my own, my lips slightly falling in anguish at his words.

"Home?" I whispered.

"Yeah," he smiled own softly at me as he continued to walk into the living room. "You're home, Bella."

As badly as I wanted to over think everything I just couldn't find it in me to do so. Being here with Edward permanently was something I was looking forward to very much. I loved Edward. I had admitted it and with all my heart I meant it. Rosalie was right. It was time to grow up. To move on and become the people we had always wanted to become. We weren't those awkward college students stumbling through life anymore with books and papers cluttering our rooms. We were finally molding into the people we not only wanted to be but needed to become.

"Home…" I said with more confidence.

This was my home. Edward was home.

…

Laughter filled the living room, echoing off the bright white walls of the apartment as Edward and I lounged on the floor, watching silly old cartoons we had grown up on our entire life with a bowl of popcorn laying in my lap. It wasn't the intimacy I was used to with the man who sat behind me, his legs tangled with mine under the blanket he had wrapped around us earlier, but it was definitely something I loved. Something I could get used to without issue.

"Jerry the mouse is the best cartoon character ever," Edward mumbled through a mouthful of popcorn.

I looked at him, completely baffled by his remark.

"You're crazy." I shook my head.

"What are you talking about?" he motioned for the television in front of us. "It's obvious! Jerry is smart, fast, witty and can outsmart that stupid Tom cat any day."

I continued with my head shaking.

"Who cares about that stupid mouse? Blossom is the best."

"Blossom?" he raised a perfect eyebrow up at me. "As in the Powerpuff Girls?"

"Yeah."

He snorted in a very cute way, giving me that _are-you-that-stupid? _look.

"And you said I was crazy!"

"You are! Blossom is the best! No contest!"

"What? Why?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well," I sat up, utterly serious. "First of all, she not only has heat vision, can fly and is super freaking strong for like a five year old, she is utterly adorable, has great leadership skills and can kick some major ass on a regular basis."

Edward continues to stare at me in disbelief.

"She beats up monkeys with deformed heads and creepy she man lobster humans. And she's not exactly the cutest toddler out there."

"Oh my god!" I groaned in shock. "What are you talking about?"

He rolls his eyes as if its obvious.

"She wears those," he places his hands on top of his head in the most adorable fashion I have ever seen. "Ugly red ears and her feet are like little stumps. And don't get me started on those freaky bug eyes!"

"It's a ribbon on top of her head, you dummy!" I smacked his arm playfully. "And you want to talk about freakishly large items on heads? Look at Jerry's ears! They're bigger than his entire body! So unrealistic."

"Oh and toddlers with super human powers are completely realistic," his voice oozed of sarcasm.

He got me there.

I slowly placed a few kernels of popcorn into my mouth.

"It could happen," I said slowly, focusing on the television now.

"Oh really?"

I shrugged, trying my hardest not to sulk from defeat. I was caught off guard, though, Edwards long fingers digging into my sides gently as he begin to mercilessly attack me with tickling.

"Say Jerry's the best!" Edward laughed into my ear as I squealed and convulsed in his lap.

"No!" I giggled, trying to wiggle my way away from him. "Never!"

Edward sighed playfully, continuing his attack on me. "

"Alright. But I won't let up if you don't."

It was starting to become hard to breathe with all the laughing he was extracting from me, my lungs burning and eyes teary from laughing so hard.

"Fine! Fine!" I finally gave in. "I give! I give! Uncle!"

"Say it!" Edward laughed, still tickling me.

"Jerry's the best!" I yelped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that."

I gasped for air, loving this childish side coming from the both of us.

"JERRY'S THE BEST!" I screamed through my shrieks.

"Who now?"

"Jerry! Jerry the mouse!"

And just like that, his fingers were off of me. I sighed happily, leaning up against his chest as he laughed and I tried to catch my breath.

"You suck," I said breathlessly up at him.

His mischievous smile emerged from behind his glimmering eyes.

"Why Ms. Swan, would you like yet another tickle attack?"

My eyes widened in horror, my lips forming into a perfect 'o'. He chuckled to himself and focused back on the television, eating more popcorn.

"I thought so."

We relaxed a bit after that, throwing popcorn at the large plasma screen in mock anger when commercials suddenly popped their way up in the middle of the cartoon session.

"I really hate commercials," I shook my head.

Edward nodded in agreement.

"I hate being asked to be in commercials all the time."

I snorted up at him, rolling my eyes.

"Oh yes, because being offered hundred of thousands of dollars to be on screen for thirty seconds is just terrible," I chuckled.

Edward smirked down at me, knowingly.

"Kellogg offers a million."

I almost chocked on my popcorn, Edward having to pat my back gently.

"A _m-m-million _dollars for a commercial?"

He shook his head, brow furrowed slightly.

"For a contract with them."

"As in a spokes person?"

"Yeah."

"So you could be on the box of Frosted Flakes?" I wiggled my eyebrows up at him.

"Tony the Tiger has definitely always been a hero of mine."

"I bet," I giggled.

He leaned down, laughing breathily as he began to snuggle into my neck. His warm, smooth lips tracing small patterns in my tingling skin slowly. Torturously slow.

"E-Edward?" I whispered breathily.

"Hmmm?" he continued to kiss.

"I was meaning to ask you something."

Reluctantly, he pulled away, and stared at me with now serious eyes.

"Yeah?"

I pursed my lips.

"It's my dad."

"Okay," he seemed a bit worried. "What is it?"

I looked down at my lap, twining my fingers together as I felt my mouth become dry.

"I hate asking you this," I murmured quietly.

Edward placed two fingers under my chin gently, forcing me to look up at him with wide eyes. His expression was dead serious.

"Just ask, Bella. I don't care what it is. I'll help in whatever way I can."

I swallowed, hoping to make the harsh dryness drift away form my throat.

"It's Charlie's birthday next weekend," I finally let out.

Edward's face became much more relieved.

"Oh. That's great, Bella."

I smiled, "Yeah. I sent him that piece of paper you signed for him a couple months back and he really liked that."

"That's right," Edward nodded sweetly. "You're dad's a fan right?"

I snorted loudly, rolling my eyes.

"That's a rather large understatement, Edward. Fan is putting it very lightly."

Edward's eyes became clouded with confusion.

"What are you getting at here, Bella?"

"I was hoping that maybe…since you're having that big match in a couple of weeks that I could maybe…fly Charlie down here and have him in the box with me? I mean if you didn't mind! I tried getting him tickets for his birthday but apparently all the tickets had sold out like ten minutes after starting to be sold and I-"

"Bella," Edward stopped me, his tone gentle and understanding. "I'd love to have your father at my match."

My eyes widened, my smile splitting from ear to ear.

"Really?" I squealed.

He laughed gently, his own smile brightening.

"Of course, baby. I've already met the rest of your family. I need to meet your father sooner or later."

"Oh, Edward!" I flung my self at him, knocking him on his back laughing as I peppered his face with kissed. "Thank you so much! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

He placed his hands on my hips, relishing in the kisses I was showering him with.

"I'm happy to do it, Bella. I'll even send my private jet out there to pick him up on Friday so he can get here without any hassle."

My jaw dropped to the floor.

"You have a jet?"

His ego just grew about ten times bigger with four words.

"Oh, baby. I have a lot of toys I haven't shown you yet."

I smiled down at him, letting my lips brush against his gently.

"Oh yeah?" I challenged.

His hands pressed me down against his penetrating and rock hard erection that was begging to be released from the confines of his jeans.

"You bet, beautiful."

I began to grind my already sensitive core against his cock, gaining a couple of low moans and eliciting a row of sharp hisses form myself when the front door to the apartment burst open.

I leapt off of Edward as fast as I could. My flailing legs knocked over the large bowl of popcorn as I managed to tangle myself in the blanket Edward had wrapped around us earlier.

Alice stood in the foyer, closing the front door with suspicious eyes. Her brother sent her daggers with his eyes, more mad at her than I had ever seen.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," Alice glanced at me with speculating eyes as I tried to sit up as best I could.

Edward was flawless, using his forearms to support him effortlessly.

"You were," he deadpanned. "What do you want?"

His tone was harsh but I didn't doubt his obvious concern that lingered in his tone somewhere deep in there.

Alice shrugged, sighing gently.

"I just thought I could spend the night here tonight. Maybe hang out with you and Bella since it's her first night here permanently and all."

I smiled at Alice kindly, wanting to thank her for her obvious affection towards me. I felt the same towards her.

"No," Edward shot her down. "Absolutely not."

Alice's face fell as I now shot my own flares towards her brother.

"What?" I snapped at him.

Edward groaned.

"Bella! It's your first night here with me. I wanted to err…get you a bit more comfortable with the apartment," I could hear the obvious double meaning to his words.

I rolled my eyes and stood to walk over towards his sister.

"It isn't exactly my first time in the apartment, Edward. You can handle one night without sex," I called over my shoulder before grasping Alice's hand in mine and pulling her into a hug. "Hey, Ali."

She smiled at me in thanks.

"Hey, B."

"What's going on, Ali Cat?"

She giggled at the nickname I had bestowed her with and shrugged.

"Nothing much," she said softly, her words obviously resonating sorrow.

This wasn't just about me being here to stay. There was something going on. I worried it was her mother. Mrs. Masen hadn't come around since our last encounter and Alice swore up and down she hadn't seen her but I was scared she may have been covering something up.

I rubbed the small girl's arm reassuringly, sending her the soothing glance my mother would always give me when I was upset. Being so close, I could see the blood shot redness covering the what was supposed to be the white of her eye. Her tear ducts were swollen from tears being shed not too long ago and her nose was raw from tissue use.

"Bella-" Edward called but I tuned him out.

"You wanna talk about it?" I whispered to her softly so Edward wouldn't hear.

Her eyes widened in shock but eventually she grasped my hand in hers and nodded. Before Edward could stop me or I could figure out what was going on, Alice was dragging me off into her room I had never really seen before.

Before I could get a good look around, Alice pulled me to sit onto her bed after locking her door behind her and closing it. She flopped down beside me, her face already tear stained.

"Alice," I cooed, pulling her to me. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

She shook her head.

"Oh, Bella," she sniffled. "I…I think I'm in love."

_Oh lord_, my subconscious rolled her eyes.

_Here we go_, my tomboy buckled herself in for a wild wide.

My pink vixen just sat there, nodding her empathetic head at the small girl before me with so much interest it was scary.

"That's great, sweetie!" I said as enthusiastically as I could force.

I silently worried how Edward was going to react to his little sister, the girl he had raised and taken care of his whole life, finally finding someone she cared for. Punches were going to be thrown.

"No it's not," she sobbed softly.

"Why not?"

Her tiny frame wracked with furious sobs, her face turning red with embarrassment before she could place her hands over it.

"H-he doesn't l-like me back," she sniffled.

I was slightly taken a back by this. I wasn't crazy. Alice Masen was probably one of New York's most eligible singles. Yes, she was definitely young and slightly under matured emotionally but she was tough as nails, strong, well thought and beautiful. She was everything a man could want and whoever this guy was seemed to have an aversion towards her? How was that possible?

I sighed heavily, hugging her closer to me while rubbing her back as soothingly as I could.

"Well then he's crazy!" I scoffed.

"No he's not, Bella," she pulled back to wipe away her mascara filled tears. "He's beautiful and smart and funny. He's exactly what I've been looking for."

"Well he can't be that smart if he said no to you."

She snorted through her nose, shaking her little head.

"He said he has too many responsibilities right now and he can't focus on a relationship."

"So you tried? Going out, I mean."

"Yeah," she whispered, wringing her hands in her lap. "He's always working, though, and his mom works too. He has to practically raise his younger siblings since he's the older but I don't think it's fair!" she sulked. "It's not his job to be a dad at his age."

Her comment took me off guard slightly. Surely she understood the hypocrisy behind her words. Had she taken Edward's love and sacrifice for granted all these years? Did she not understand or see what exactly he did for her?

The fire lit inside me at the thought. Edward could have done so many things if it weren't for his fucked up family. He was so smart and charming he could have gone to school and done whatever he wanted. Studied anything he desired. He was talented in more ways then one and had a keen ear for music as well as magical fingers when it came to the keys.

"It's not his job, Alice," I started, my town low. "But he does it because he loves them. Not just because he has to."

She stared up at me with wide eyes.

"I know," she swallowed. "But it's still not fair. It wasn't fair when Edward had to do it with me and it's not fair with Jasper now!"

My whole world stopped. Rewind.

"Wait a second," I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath through my nose. "Jasper? As in Jasper Hale? From my cousin's boxing ring?"

She sniffled, her eyes brimming with feign innocence.

"Yes," she whispered. "We started talking that night I came to the gym with Edward and we just-"

"Alice!" I hissed. "Do you have any idea how hard that boy works just to keep the bills paid? Three younger siblings and college tuition with a single mother isn't exactly an easy situation for him."

Alice's face contorted into crumbling anger, her wrinkles becoming more and more apparent as her eyes narrowed in fury. She stood up from the bed, her hads balled up at her side.

"You think I don't know that? He told me everything! And it doesn't matter if he's dirt poor and has to take care of his family! I love him!" she practically shrieked at me.

I lifted my hands up to stop her, trying to calm her before Edward heard and broke down her door to see if we were both alright.

"I know you probably have some genuine feelings for him, Ali, but I can understand his perspective on this entire relationship issue. Those kids depend on him, Alice. They need his head in the game for at least another few years and being boggled down with relationship drama will only hurt them all. He can't afford to risk all that." I was trying to sound empathetic towards the both of them but Alice just took it all to heart, her face shifting into full blown rage.

"I wouldn't cause him any drama! I'm perfect for him! Perfect!" she stomped her foot.

I took in a deep breath, crossing my arms over my chest. I raised a brow at her, my voice low.

"Really? Then what are you doing right now?"

I could hear my mother's voice in my own, scolding and taunting all at the same time. Never a good combination when it comes to a moody teenager on the rampage.

Alice's face turned bright red, easily rivaling my blush.

"You think just because you're a few years older than me and you're dating my brother that you can tell me what to do?" she hissed venomously.

"I'm not telling you what to do-"

"You're not my mother!" she shrieked before I could get another word in. tears streamed down her face as I froze in shock.

Edward's muffled but concerned voice came form outside her room.

"Alice? Bella? Are you two alright in there?"

Neither one of us paid him any attention, keep our eyes locked on each other.

"You're not my sister, or blood. For God's sake you're not even my friend! So what makes you think I need or want any advice from you!"

Before I could say anything in rebuttal, Alice stormed off, ripping open her bedroom door and running past a very confused Edward. He didn't bother chasing at his sister, seeing her fury and just let her storm out of the apartment completely with a loud bang coming from the front door to mark her departure.

I huffed softly, letting my head fall into my tired hands.

"Bella?" Edward's gentle voice came from somewhere very close.

I didn't bother looking up. I was suddenly very tired. Far too exhausted for anymore talking or hearing anymore foul remarks from Alice and Edward about how I wasn't of any importance to their family. How I wasn't in the loop.

I shook my head in my hands, feeling tears suddenly start to roll down my cheek. Sobs racked my body softly, making my back rise and fall heavily.

"Bella…" Edward touched my shoulder but I violently swatted him away, rage filling my veins.

I stared up at his stunned face with red seeing eyes. I could no longer take this.

"I'm so tired of all this shit!" I growled at him.

Edward stared back at me wide eyed and baffled.

"Bella? What happened? Are you alright?" he reached out again.

I only shot him down once more.

"Don't touch me!" he flinched back at my words. "This whole family is fucked up! Every time I think I'm finally getting closer to being inside your little fucking circle, there's always someone here to tell me I'm not good enough!" I sobbed.

Edward's eyes looked pained, as if I had seared him with a white hot rod. He knew he had been apart of my allegations and now Alice was added onto the list right under him and his mother.

"What did Alice say to you?" he asked in a colder voice now.

I scoffed, wiping at my eyes angrily before rushing past him and into the hall.

"Nothing I haven't been told before," I snapped.

I rushed down the hall, throwing myself into the nearest open door I could and locking the door behind me. Edward was at the door almost instantly, knocking furiously and pleading with me to open the door. Ironically I had found myself in his, or rather our, bedroom. I sunk down against the door, my head falling into my hands once more.

"Just leave me alone," I whispered sadly into the darkened abyss I sat in.

…

I must have fallen asleep because I woke to the feeling of shaking coming from beside me. I stirred, my eyes opening slightly but were blurred from the dark and sleep hazing them heavily.

The bed I was laying on was shaking even harder now. I became frightened, remembering I hadn't fallen asleep on the bed. I remembered he hard floor I had been subjected to and then the horrible spat Edward, Alice and I had all been intertwined with. I instinctively rolled onto my side towards the shaking, only to find a large figure with it's back towards me.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness surrounding me I could see I had been changed into a silk night gown that I had never seen before. It felt good but my main priority was the shape before me. The familiar toned and perfectly shaped muscles facing me could only be that of Edward's.

My heart sunk slightly, remembering his pained looks and broken spirit when I snapped at him. I took in a deep breath, listening to my own pain ring through my ears in the form of hurtful words.

How could I have been so harsh to someone I loved? Sure I had been treated that way but I was a firm believer that two wrongs never made a right. I sighed softly, reaching out a shaking hand so that it was placed right between Edward's shivering shoulder blades. I heard a soft sob erupt from him and all my instincts kicked in.

I leaned forward, scooting my body forward so that my forehead rested right above my hand while the other arm wrapped around him from the from so that my hand was placed on his shoulder. I placed languid, ginger kisses from his spine, between his shoulder blades, back and forth. Hot tears burned my cheek as they rolled down my face thickly.

Edward quickly turned around, bringing me straight against his chest as we said our apologies with kisses on each other's skin and body. Soon I found myself on top of Edward, my legs on either side of him as my hands rested on his pecks, my forehead perched against his collar bone so I could kiss right above his heart. My tears dropped onto his skin, making his sobs combine with mine softly while his hands ran up and down my sides lovingly.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he whispered through a tortured tone.

I shook my head into his chest, letting my lips linger on his skin, dragging up and down with hot breaths brushing him before placing yet another kiss at the end of my trail.

"It's not your fault, Edward," I whimpered back up at him.

"It is," he breathed. "If I hadn't told you all those things-"

"I'm not good enough," I interrupted him, my hand moving up his chest to his shoulder, my eyes meeting with his.

His jaw set firmly in anger, his hands sliding up from my sides until he reached my face. He gripped me tightly but gently all at the same time, holding my gaze with his as he sat up, nose to nose.

"If anyone is inadequate in this relationship, Bella, it's me. You're so perfect," he whispered huskily.

One hand sliding back down my side until he reached the hem of the short night gown. Every inch of the slow ridden path his fingers made up the side of my thigh and hip, the tips of his digits left a burnt path in their wake.

My breath became heavy, my lips parting with his as our gazes burned into each other's. My legs parted slightly as I realized I wasn't wearing any underwear, wetness dripping down the inside of my parted thighs. My eyes rolled back, my head lulling behind me the moment his lips began their trail down my breast bone.

His hands continued to skim up the skin of my thigh, moving with a feather light touch, making my insides convulse while I remained still on top of him.

"So beautiful," his hot breath breathed against my sensitive skin. "And loving," his hand that wasn't making me drunk with lust traced over my right breast, raising a tortured groan from me. "Passionate and loyal," he continued.

"Edward…" I murmured into the thick air.

His tongue reached out, lightly licking at my tingling flesh so that my core throbbed violently for him.

"You are everything I could ever wish for, Isabella," my name rolled off his tongue fucking caramel. He reached down to let his large erection escape the confines of the sweat pants he had worn solo, no shirt, and positioned himself at my entrance.

I gasped in want, needing the wonderful sensation of Edward filling me like only he ever could. Slowly, he lowered me down onto him. My back arched backwards before he viciously grabbed me back, our faces so close that our heated breaths tangled into one, our noses pressed together. His eyes were green fire staring into mine as he began to move in and out of me.

One hand rested on my bare hip, his hand covered with the silk of my nightgown along with the rest of my body, while the other held my head in place by the nape of my neck so that I stared into his eyes the entire time. The intensity of the feeling of not being able to move and seeing every bit of fire Edward held for me just made the growing pleasure rising inside me reach impossible heights.

"You are everything I want," he continued breathlessly.

His thrusts remained slow. So fucking slow. Love at its finest.

My hips began to move against his as best they could, our faces still right in front of each other, his breath becoming my oxygen and mine his. I placed one hand over his that resided on my hip while the other gripped at his neck.

"Oh god!" I pleaded with Edward shakily. My breaths became ragged as both our bodies began to shake with our impending release. "Please…"

"No," Edward protested, his eyes burning with fury and love. An utter contradiction made into perfect sense. "Not until you see."

"Edward!" I groaned, feeling him slow to almost a complete halt.

"No," he repeated, nipping at my lower lip. "I need you to see my love for you. How you have earned not only my heart but my trust…my soul."

I stared into the flaming orbs before me. The love, dedication and fire he held for me resonation in the very pit of my soul with just one look from him. I nodded slowly, placing a hand on his cheek.

"I love you," I whimpered.

He smiled gently before seeing that finally, I understood. His lips slowly entangled with mine, him slamming back into me in the most pleasurable way I had ever felt.

I pulled away from his lips, letting out a high pitched moan.

"Yes!" I panted, moving with his now hurried thrusts, grinding back and forth on him.

"Fuck!" Edward screamed, our foreheads pressed together as we moved.

He was relentless, moving harder and faster with every breath. He was pushing us closer and closer and closer to the finale but also holding back just enough to delay what we both wanted so desperately.

"Almost," I whispered between heavy breaths. "So…close."

"Agh!" he moved faster. "Yes, baby. Move faster. That's it. Right…there!"

I sunk my nails into his shoulder, sending him over the edge which sent me straight over the cliff I had been begging to jump over. I screamed his name over and over again, praying for the sensation to never end as he finally let me fall back, his hands gripping my hips as my back arched over his slightly bent legs, my head falling over his knees. My hands gripped violently at the sheets bellow and behind my head.

Edward's head fell between my breasts, kissing and panting while he rode out both our orgasms with a few final thrusts.

"I love you," he panted. "I love you."

And for the first time in a long time…I believed him.


	16. Chapter 16: The Fire Inside

**Something Worth Fighting For**

**Chapter 16. The Fire Inside**  
**Alice Masen  
**

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**Hey guys! So I got a bit of a spark of inspiration a couple of days ago which sparked this chapter. There is something coming up...something really big...AREN'T YOU EXCITED! The baby and Momma are doin' very well, thank you all for your thoughts and congrats! I appreciate it very mucha nd you make a very swollen and very, very pregnant woman feel good once again(:  
**  
**I'm finally getting back into the rutine with updating since my daughter is finally back at daycare, work is settling down a bit and my husband's work schedual has steadied out a bit as well. So don't worry! Many more updates are to come!(:**

**Well let's get to it guys!**

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The lights in Jersey were dim and vague. The streets I had once been so familiar with were now uncharted territory. I knew it wasn't a smart idea to be here so late. I knew it wasn't safe to be here at all but I didn't know where else to go. My range Rover probably cost more than what people living in this area made in five years, making me an outright neon sign for the thieves and crooks that lived around here. I didn't care, though. I sped on down the slightly similar roads I had once traveled down so many times.

Tears blurred my vision while the dried salt of faded tears clung to my streaky cheek. Edward never came around these parts anymore. He didn't even dare. He hated remembering things that had to do with when we were younger but I could hardly remember. He would kill me if he knew what I was doing out here.

As if on cue, my phone began to buzz in the cup holder beside the clutch. I quickly answered it, hoping it would be Bella. Maybe I could apologize to her for all the curled things I had said to her. I didn't mean them…it's just that Jasper and I were so perfect together and he just didn't see it. All his work blinded him form something so perfect. Bella was only trying to protect her friend.

"Ali?" I heard Jasper's cute little drawl slurr through my phone.

My heart instantly ached, feeling the shattered remnants of my heart jump slightly in my chest.

"Jasper," I sniffled, whimpering lightly. "I can't talk right now. I have to go."

"No! Ali! Please, sweetheart! I'm so sorry about what I said earlier….Alice you just need to understand that-"

"I do understand!" I snapped at him through a sob. "I understand that you have things to do and people to take care of…I just wish I could be one of them."

Before he could respond, I clicked my phone shut, searching the deserted looking streets and neighborhood for the house I hadn't been back to in years. Edward had bought my mother a nice home in Staten Island. A place that wouldn't be broken into every week or be shot up at night. She refused, though, leaving herself in the insanity she now dwelled in.

Another loud, shrill ring came form my phone. I knew it wouldn't be Japser. He was letting me go and had told me that earlier. I knew it could only be a few people so I answered as best I could .

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Alice?" Edward's voice growled. "What the hell did you say to Bella?"

I sniffled a bit, letting a tiny sob escape.

"I'm sorry, Edward," I cried. "I didn't mean it-"

"Didn't mean what?" he snapped.

I felt the car come to an almost complete stop. Edward had never been cold towards me before, much less be angry with me. I was his sister, the one he always looked out for and took care of. We were always there for each other because…we were all we had. It was us two against the world and now here he was, biting my head off for a few little words I didn't even mean. I was just angry. I didn't mean to hurt Bella.

"Alice," his voice was shaking with anger. "Tell. Me. What. You. Said."

I swallowed audibly. I didn't know how to react to him being this way. I had taken shit form my mother long enough to know how to just shut up and stay that way when she started on one of her little crusades but with Edward it was different. I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Edward wasn't the type. Even as kids he refused to so much as hug me too hard much less throw a punch at his little sister. There was no way I could escape his rage, though.

"I," I cleared my throat unsteadily. "I didn't mean it…" I repeated.

Edward let out a cross between a feral growl and an sigh of frustration. I could see him running his hands through his hair, eyes wide and burning bright emerald like he did when mom said something to piss him off. That's when it hit me.

What I had said to Bella…it was no better than what my mother had been telling me and Edward our entire lives. Undercutting remarks that left you bruised and beaten after a good while, heart depleted of all self worth. That was Edward's entire reason for fighting. To get me out of there and now here I was…the reincarnation of my own fucked up mother.

My stomach churned at the realization, a bitter taste of disgust remaining on my taste buds.

"I don't know what the hell you said to her, but Bella won't even fucking let me touch her!" he hissed.

"What do you mean?"

"She locked herself in our damn bedroom and is refusing to let me in!"

"Well," I paused. "Why didn't you just kick the door down?"

Edward chuckled darkly, giving me the sense that he wasn't finding any humor in this at all.

"You think I haven't already thought of that? What if she's in there crying her fucking eyes out and I can't even…" he hesitated, taking in a deep breath. "She's pressed up against the fucking door. I kick it in, she gets hurt. I can't risk that."

My heart squeezed tensely inside my chest.

_This is all my fault_, I thought to myself. _If I just would've listened to Bella_. _She's only looking out for Jasper and I. _

"Oh…"

"I need to know what you said to her, Alice." his tone was still as hard as stone.

I took in a shaky breath, letting the car stroll through the empty streets at a lazy pace.

"Edward…I…" _be a woman_. I took a deep breath and finally did what I needed to do. "I told her she had no right to tell me what to do. I told her she wasn't my friend or apart of our family…Edward, I didn't mean it! Any of it!"

Edward was silent on the other end. I couldn't even hear if he was breathing, much less fuming over my words.

"Edwar-"

"Do you know what you've done?" he whispered, tone lethal. "You've just reopened a still very sensitive wound between Bella and I!"

I coughed, feeling tears start to release through the flood gates once more.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered.

"Sorry? Alice you know exactly what I said to Bella last time. You know she doubts my feelings for her and now you've just confirmed all her doubts! Which are absolutely false!"

"I was just upset!" I fought back. "I didn't think I would make her so upset! I really didn't mean it."

Edward's tone turned cold but slightly softer as he spoke, hearing my own distress for Bella.

"I love her, Alice. I want to marry Bella someday, if she'll agree to join our little fucked up family circus!" my heart swelled in joy for my brother but at the same time I felt a pang of hurt.

If Edward married Bella…where would that leave me? If she married him and they lived together, I couldn't go and stay at Edward's place whenever I didn't feel safe or just wanted some company. I could see his reaction the moment I walked in on their little fiasco on the living room floor that he wouldn't want me there much more. When they had kids, I would be totally out of the picture. Edward would have a new family, replacing his own with something that was stable and lovable. Nothing like our own.

Edward had been everything to me; my support system, my best friend and brother. My parent.

He was pulling away and it was excruciating to even think about it.

"It's bad enough to have Elizabeth already stabbing at Bella's kind heart. I don't need you poking at her too."

That stung worse than a slap to the face or any blow to my stomach. I felt a sob escape my lips, crushing my heart with it's weight.

_I'm not her_, I said to myself. _I'm not. I'm not! What does he know? It's Bella's fault she's so fucking sensitive! Why'd she even have to come along anyways? I hate her! I HATE HER!_

"Fine," I sniffled. "If you see it that way, then I'll leave the both of you alone."

"I don't want that, Ali. I want you to stop acting like a fucking five year old and apologize to Bella!" he sounded beyond angry…but so was I.

My eyes narrowed, fire burning through my veins like someone had lit me up with a blow torch. I could practically feel myself steaming like boiling fucking water.

"No," I grit. "Why don't you apologize for me. I mean she's so fucking important to you now. I'm sure she'll want a new little family with you Edward and I'm happy to step away. Trust me. You won't hear from me again. I promise."

Before he could respond, I shut of my phone so I couldn't let him call back. I flung my cell at the passenger's seat. I slammed on the gas, screeching through the neighborhoods until I found the house I was looking for.

I paused after parking up front, taking the keys out of the ignition. My eyes lingered on the deteriorating condition of the house at first, watching as the house practically swayed with the heavy winds. The once white painted wood exterior of the house was now dirty and chipped, allowing vines and dirt to seep through every available inch on the house. The brilliant blue shutters that Edward and my father had painted together so long ago were now almost black and hung limply off their hinges.

_Dad…_

I felt memories rushing back into my brain of little Edward and an even littler Alice holding hands, running down the street with large smiles on their faces. I saw dad, his dark hair that matched my own hanging down in his green eyes while he flashed me a huge smile he was known for. It was all playing in slow motion; dad working on his car up in the driveway that was now covered in weeds, Edward lugging me around on his back while I squealed in joy…Mom sitting on the front porch, normal, beautiful and reading Jane Austen on the porch swing that now seemed rotted.

I hadn't even realized I was full out sobbing until I felt my lungs start to constrict in my chest. We may not have had everything but we had each other back then. Back when Edward and I were kids and mom when normal…back when Dad was-

_Stop it! _My thoughts snapped at me. _You didn't come here to reminisce. _

I nodded, looking at myself in the rearview. I wiped away any mascara that had smeared my skin before shoving myself out of the car.

It felt like an eternity walking up the overly grown pathway to the creaking porch but I managed as best I could. I kept my breathing in check, my mind and heartbeat racing all at once.

All my instincts were telling me to run. To never look back…but I was instantly drawn. The house…the person inside…it was all too nostalgic to turn my back on.

I lifted a shaky hand, rasping in a deep breath but before I could even flinch to attempt a knock, the door cracked open. Fiery blue eyes glared at me through the darkness that engulfed the house behind the figure. At first I think the person expected someone else, glowing orbs of blue fire singing their way through my soul.

The door didn't move and neither did either of us. I cleared my throat, feeling my entire body trembling.

"H-hey, Mom."

Mom's body moved like a Siamese cat behind the door, as she came to stand openly in front of me. Ever since mom had started to…go downhill, her body had changed form healthy and normal to distorted and sharp. Her bones stuck out so fiercely that you could almost see the grooves where the joints met through her loose fitted- v neck tee. Her legs were so tiny that her jeans were like pajamas on her.

Her long, red hair that reminded me of Edward's was pulled back into a damp ponytail while her bruise rimmed eyes stared at me in both wonder and disdain.

"Alice," she pursed her lips. "What are you doing here?"

Her voice was trying to be could and calloused towards me but I could see the motherly affection glowing through her. No matter what my mother had done or said to me in my lifetime, she was still my mother. Esme had been there support wise, coming to ballet recitals and taking me shopping…being there when I needed her. She wasn't the woman who gave birth to me, though.

I knew my real mom was still in there somewhere. Inside the shell of the woman she once was, I knew the woman who read Jane Austen to me during the summer on our swing porch and taught me how to bake heart shaped cookies was still in there somewhere. She had to be.

I couldn't help it as the tears began to flow again, my sobs shaking my entire body as I flashed my hands over my face.

Mom was instantly around me, her bony arms wrapping around my slight frame as she tried to soothe me.

"Oh, Ali Girl," she ran her hands through my long hair. "Shh, tell Mommy what's wrong."

Before I could think, one word slipped out through my lips. One name.

"B-Bella."

Mom's eyes flashed in a way I knew all too well. Fire had erupted.

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**How did we like Alice's point of view? huh? huh? Well i'm excited to see what you all think! Hittin' the hay! Leave reviews!**

**-fighter**


	17. Chapter 17: In the Lion's Ring

**Something Worth Fighting For  
Chapter 17. In the Lion's Ring  
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**Isabella Swan**

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**Hey guys! OMG! i have been looking forward to writing this chapter for soooooo long! You'll see why!(;**

**Anyways, a reviewer of mine messeged me the other day and told me that today was her birthday and her birthday wish was for me to update on today- her birthday- and so i did! i love my readers very very much and it's a huge honor to do this for one of them!**

**Happy 19th Birthday to Edward'sdwifey4life!(:**

**I hope you have a great one! Party hard, sleep in late and stay in school! haha!**

**Well let's get to it then, folks!**

**here we go!**

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I woke to the sound of thunder rumbling against the walls, shaking me out of a peaceful sleep and jolting me up where I lay. My eyes flashed the grey hued room frantically, the dark clouds outside depriving me of knowing what time of day it was. It took me a long moment to remember where I was, my surroundings familiar but not what I was used to yet. It took me another moment to realize that I was alone.

From my naked body under the sheets that I held against me and the perfectly made side of the bed beside me, I knew Edward was up. I groaned, wishing he had been here. Wishing he would take one damn day off from training and just lay in bed with me for the day. It was my second day here after all. I needed some acclimating to get done and with my gorgeous boyfriend naked in bed with me all day, it seemed to be a perfect way to get adapted to my new surroundings.

Another, more dull, roll of thunder vibrated through me. I glanced at the alarm clock beside me seeing that I had slept in only an hour or so more than I was used to. I easily slid out of bed, feeling absolutely at ease and relaxed. Mind blowing sex will do that to you.

After taking a quick shower, blow drying my hair and brushing my teeth, I went towards the closet Edward and I now shared. It was a walk in closet, one wall covered with suits, his casual wear clothes and his shoes. The opposing wall to that was my own. A few dresses hung in the back, jeans in front and all casual shirts I had behind my work clothes. My shoes remained on a shelf above my hanging clothes, making me smile at how Edward thought I could get up there without his help every day. It was way too far up.

I settled into the most comfortable clothes I could manage, slinging on my favorite pair of fitted but still comfortable light washed jeans and a baggy, v-neck with a small pocket on the breast pocket. I fishtail braided my hair down my back so I could make lunch for Edward and I before he came home without my hair getting in the way and padded my way out of the bedroom, downstairs and into the apartment.

"I can't believe this," I heard Edward's voice whisper in distress. "She's acting like a fucking five year old!"

I froze at first, slightly shocked that Edward was still in the apartment. Edward should have been at the gym right now but as I rounded my way down the stairs, his eyes catching a glimpse of me from the living room bellow, I noticed something was off. Edward was hunched on his sofa, one elbow resting on his knee so his head fell easily into his hand while the other held his Blackberry to his ear.

"I don't care what it takes! Get her out of that damn house!" Edward barked at someone over the phone before throwing it across the room.

The poor phone had lived a good life but, sadly, had been thrown at maximum speed into a concrete wall. It stood no chance at survival.

I stared at the heap of broken phone bit for a moment as I walked past it and towards Edward. His hands were now behind his head, his face bright red with fury as he clamped his eyes shut. He was trying his hardest to calm himself down.

I smiled sadly towards him. Something had to be really wrong for Edward to not hit the gym with Carlisle this morning or blow up like he did. Edward hardly ever got mad. There was only one thing that could set him off like that…

_Oh shit! _My subconscious growled, rolling her eyes. _Not this fucking bitch again! Here comes trouble…_

I let out a soft sigh, gently alerting Edward that I was making my way towards him. I came around the sofa, wrapping my arms through his bent arms and resting my hands over his heart. Almost instantly, he relaxed. All his muscled released from their tensed positions, his arms flopping down from behind his head. I let my nose run it's way down his neck, inhaling every bit of him that I could while placing gentle kisses here and there.

"Hmmm," he hummed softly, his breath becoming normal along with his heart beats under my hand.

I continued my relaxation mission on him, "What's going on, baby?" I whispered softly against the shell of his ear.

He let out a heavy breath, pressing his hand over mine.

"Nothing to worry about, Angel," he opened his eyes a crack, his hand running down the side of my cheek gently.

We were quiet after that, our lips pressing softly and lovingly against each other. After pulling away, there was nothing but reassurance lacing Edward's eyes. He was calm.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked softly.

Edward gave me a wry grin, his eyes sad as he shook his head.

"There's nothing you can do, Bella. It's my problem and I don't want you anymore stressed out then you already are with stupid shit."

"Me?" I asked quizzically. "You're the one fighting one of the biggest matches of your life in two weeks and you think I'm stressed?" I laughed teasingly.

Edward shrugged, lifting himself off the couch until he had me in his arms. I felt home there; warm, loved and secure. I hope I gave that all back in return. With all my heart, I hoped.

He smirked down at me, shaking his head.

"I never get nervous. It sounds cocky, I know, but I just…don't. It doesn't happen to me."

"But you get stressed," I scoffed.

"Yeah," he admitted. "But it's not as bad as what you're going through, Bella."

"And what exactly am I going through?"

He rolled his eyes at my sarcastic tone, holding me tighter to him.

"You've just moved away from living with your best friend, you're having to live with someone you hardly know and you just quit your job for a new one. I would be stressed if I were you."

"I thought Edward Masen didn't get stressed?"

"Nervous. I don't get nervous."

"Ahh," I snorted. "Whatever you say. I'm not stressed, Edward. I'm actually very relaxed. Right here. With you."

I leaned up on my bare tip toes, placing a chaste peck against his smooth lips. He smirked into the kiss for a split second, running his hands along my braid that hung down my back.

"I love this," he twirled my braid with his fingers before giving it a gentle tug so that my face was angled more towards him. "I can make you kiss me whenever I want."

I rolled my eyes, feeling him lean in towards me. Our lips almost touching and only a fraction away.

"You act as if I object to any of your kisses."

"Mmmm," Edward hummed, making the air between out lips vibrate gently. "You have a point there, Ms. Swan."

His lips crushed down onto mine, our hungry need for each other needing to be filled. We stood there for a good few minutes, never coming up to breathe until absolutely necessary. I ran my fingers through his hair, hearing another shrill shriek coming form his phone. He gave a huff of frustration, not particularly enjoying the feeling of his body go ridgid beneath mine.

I sighed softly, smiling up at him as best I could.

"It's okay, sweetheart," I smiled, sensing his distress. "Answer it. I know it's probably important."

"You sure?" he asked, pulling the phone out of his pocket.

"Yeah," I pecked him once more. "It's fine. I'll start breakfast."

He gave me a small grin, winking as he pressed the phone to his ear. As he spoke in hushed whispers, I listened to him carefully. Or, at least, tired to listen.

I hadn't picked up much from where I stood in the kitchen except a few random words here and there. By the time he got off the phone, breakfast had been made and set out for us while his face had fallen back into that of distress. I could tell by the red in his eyes I could see the tears had come. Edward didn't cry. It never happened.

I dropped everything I had, rushing to him and flinging myself into his hold.

"Edward," I whispered, my hands tangling into his hair. "It'll be alright. Whatever it is…it'll be just fine."

"Oh Bella," he sighed into my shoulder. His hands wrapped around my body, holding onto me. "I don't know what to do."

"Tell me," I pulled back to look up at him.

"No," he breathed heavily. "I can't-"

"Edward," I stopped him. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, no matter what you say or do to try and make me. I'm never going anywhere again."

Edward gave a resigned sigh, shaking his head as he let it fall into his hands.

"It's Alice."

My heart dropped to my knees. Was she alright? Did she do something after our argument? What was wrong?

"What happened?" I rushed out.

He growled our in frustration, leaning back off his hands and stared up at the ceiling.

"She got pissed off like a fucking brat after she talked to me last night on the phone and ran off to my mother's."

I felt my body freeze in shock.

"After talking to you?" I asked confused.

"Yeah," he nodded, his face crinkled in anger. "I asked her about what she had done to upset you so bad."

"Did you get mad at her?" I stared at him with wide eyes.

"Not really," he shrugged. "I just told her to stop picking at you with that shit she had said…" he pulled me to him by my hips, his eyes blazing into mine. "Because none of it is true. You belong to and with me. You're mine and I don't want anything else but you and if you left," he let out a shaky breath, my heart aching in anguish at the thought. "I don't think I'd survive."

I pressed my forehead to his, "Neither would I."

"She won't answer her phone," Edward's voice quivered with fear. "And knowing my mother, she's probably got her there hostage." he rolled his eyes.

I knew Edward was only kidding but the emotions inside of me were frightening. I was livid, knowing that Elizabeth Masen would only use Alice as another piece in her game against Edward and I.

I felt a fire inside me begin to build.

"Are you serious?" I grit out, feeling the rage flame.

Edward's eyes looked hallow, almost as if he had been broken. I couldn't stand this one minute longer.

"Alice is a big girl, Bella. She'll come back in a few days…I was just scared-"

"You should be scared!" I barked at him, looking for the keys to his car. "Your fucking mother is a psychopath! She could hurt Alice!"

"You don't think I know that?" Edward groaned, placing his head in his hands. "There isn't anything I can do! Alice is old enough to drive her ass back home and deal with things."

"But she doesn't know how!" I hissed at him. "You've kept her locked away in an ivory tower her whole life, sheltering her from all things terrible. That's why she reacted the way she did. You turned your back on her and now she feels alone. She had no one else to turn to but her!"

"I didn't turn my back on her!" Edward fought back. "I would never!"

"It felt like that to her, Edward. You're her everything and putting me before her felt like a betrayal. She doesn't know how to deal with this."

When I finally found them, the keys were practically thrown into my grasp. I almost sprinted towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Edward asked as I pulled on my brown leather jacket and white slip on Vans by the door.

"If you don't care about what happens to your own sister, that's your own damn problem, but I'm sure as hell not about let Alice get hurt there with her!"

With that, I left him standing frozen inside the apartment while I set out to get Alice back.

…

I knew that knowing exactly where Edward had grown up was bordering the fine line of stalking but what can I say? I was a massive fan and still happen to be. New Jersey wasn't that bad of a place to live besides the extreme pricing of housing down here but the area in which Edward had grown up wasn't exactly the best part. I knew at some point this place had been a good place to live but after some gangs started taking over the houses and people started abandoning their own homes it simply became a place for crack whores and druggies to lie in their version of luxury.

Edward's Aston moved quickly through the abandoned roads, shifting around wrongly parked cars with ease and even purring gently as I rushed towards my destination.

My phone had gone off at least a hundred times until I turned it on silent. Edward was calling like crazy, probably trying to get me to come back to the apartment and let things be but I wasn't about to back down. Elizabeth Masen was a terrible woman and I wasn't about to let her destroy Edward or Alice.

When I finally got onto the right street, I slowed down. It was still pouring rain so I knew it would be easy to hide the sound of the car pulling up. I parked quickly in front of a house a few doors down from Edward's old home that now looked condemned and booked it towards the house.

I was drenched by the time I reached the sidewalk to the house and gasped in horror and shock when I spotted two almost identical figures sitting on some weathered looking rocking chairs on the roofed patio of the house.

"Is that her?" one of the figures rasped through a puff of cigarette smoke.

She was stick thin, her bright red hair matted thickly through the fluff of badly permed curls while too tight jeans clung to her crossed legs and a tiny tube top hugged her obviously paid for breasts.

"Yep," Mrs. Masen's familiar voice rang out. "That's her."

She put out her own cigarette and stood up slowly, her spitting image rising behind her. She strutted her sickly body forward until she reached the end of the patio. She wasn't about to get her overly made up face or nasty ass hair wet.

I marched a few more steps forward until I was almost right in front of Mrs. Masen.

"Where's Alice?" I commanded.

"Ooh!" crack whore number two perked up. "So scary! A fucking gold digging skank coming here all alone to pick up Ali."

"Shut up, Victoria!" Mrs. Masen hissed over her shoulder.

The girl scoffed at her response and sulked like a child, glaring at me viciously.

"Forgive my niece, Isabella. She's being far too nice. For that I'm sorry," she gave me a smug smile.

"Apology not accepted," I replied. "Where is Alice? I didn't come here to bark at some doped up crack whores. I'm here to get Alice and leave."

"Alice isn't going anywhere," Mrs. Masen growled.

"Like Hell she isn't!" I chuckled and took a step forward.

Victoria and Mrs. Masen blocked my way, forming a visible wall in front of me.

"You think you're family?" Mrs. Masen growled at me. "You think you have any right to care about Alice or love her. Well you don't. She's my daughter not yours. I'm her mother and I know what's best for her and Eddie. You. Know. Nothing."

"Oh really?" I giggled bitterly. "Is that why they hate you?"

"You fucking skank!" Victoria spat, lurching for me but Mrs. Masen held her back.

"Don't call me a skank, you dirty ass bitch, or I'll rip that nasty fucking hair right off your damn head." I deadpanned.

"Whatever you stupid ass piece of white trash!" Victoria spat. "I'll wipe this porch with your fucking face."

I couldn't think straight anymore. My entire life I had always had a short temper when it came to bitches spewing shit. Now wasn't the time for that to interfere though.

"Go get Alice or I swear to God!" I threatened.

"Or what? You'll tell Edward not to give me anymore money? That's already done, thanks to you!" Mrs. Masen sneered.

"I didn't tell him to do that. He's a big boy. He did that all on his own," I said in all truth.

Her eyes widened in horror, her think, pale lips pulling back over her yellow teeth before she and Victoria both came at me.

"You stupid bitch!" Victoria chipped in, grabbing at my hair.

I scratched at her before I found a way to kick her off me with ease, sending her back into the rain and off the porch.

"I will kill you!" Mrs. Masen screamed, ripping at me with her talon like nails.

I gripped her by the neck, slamming her down onto the wooden porch when I felt someone come up behind me, pulling me away from the fight.

"GET OFF OF ME!" I roared, angry and trying to fight and thrash my way out.

"Bella! Stop!" Edward's voice rang in my ears.

"Edward!" Victoria whimpered dramatically behind him. "Did you see what that bitch did to me? She hit me!"

She was holding her face, probably bleeding from how hard I had scratched and kicked her.

"Shut the fuck up, Victoria! You got exactly what was fucking coming to you!" He seethed at her, pulling my now still body towards the car he had brought.

"Don't you ever come back here!" Mrs. Masen called towards Edward and I. "You are no longer apart of my family! And if you ever bring that little bitch around here again, I'll kill her."

"It's a good thing we're never coming back here again, then, huh?" Edward snapped back at her.

In the back of my brain, I knew that Alice probably wasn't even here anymore. She would have heard the fight and come down to see what was happening and I hadn't seen her car anywhere. I had reacted stupidly and now…I had probably just broken up a family.

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**It's about to be a what? Girl fight! meow! **

**So how was it? Intense? i thought so. i've been wanting Bella to beat the shit out of that bitch for so long! Pardon my french!(;**

**How will Edward react? Where is Alice? What about his big match? What is going ON?**

**Well, review and tell me what you thought!**

**love you all,**

**-fighter**


	18. Chapter 18: Out of the Ring of Fire

**Chapter 18. Out of the Ring of Fire  
Bella Swan**

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**Hey guys! It's me! I'm not dead, I swear! Just had a baby! I went into labor two Fridays ago and delivered a bouncing baby boy! He had slight complications but nothing too major. He had to stay in the hospital for a couple extra days and I needed some recovery time but I'm back now and ready to write! **

**So here it is guys! New chapter! Yayyy! **

**Let's see how Edward's going to react!**

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"Shit!" I hissed softly.

The sting of rubbing alcohol hit the three tiny scratches Victoria had given me on my cheek, making me jump slightly in pain. Edward's eyes flashed to me, pulling the cotton ball away quickly and helped me sit up, still silent.

"You okay?" he murmured.

I stared at him, wide eyed. It was the first thing he had said to me since he had dragged me out of Jersey and brought me back to the apartment. I knew when to keep my mouth shut and stay quiet and the seething look in Edward's eyes told me that this was one of these times. In the car I just focused on my breathing, praying that God would help me keep my mouth shut. He did, thankfully.

_Please don't be mad at me_, I whispered a silent prayer in my mind. _Please…_

"Yeah," I whispered, trying to catch his glance but he kept his eyes down. "I'm fine."

He picked up a couple of clear band aids from under my legs. I was sitting on the counter in our bathroom we shared as he began bandaging me. He tilted my chin to the side with his index finger and placed the band aids where I needed them. His face was hard, his lips pressed into a fine line while his eyes remained full of fury.

"I'm really pissed at you, you know," Edward finally spat out, throwing the band aid wrappers in the toilet and flushing them.

I lowered my head and nodded, staring up at him through my lashes.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be," he chuckled darkly.

He let out a hard sigh, as if breathing for the first time all night and crossed his arms over his chest in front of me.

"Then why are you…?" I let my question drift when his green orbs of fire struck me.

"I'm mad because you put yourself in harms way, Bella."

I scoffed at this, knowing I could have easily put both of those bitches into a coma but Edward had very little faith in me when it came to that department. I should get in the ring with him sometime.

Edward's glare focused on me when he heard me sigh like a childish teenager but I just rolled my eyes defiantly.

"Edward," I hopped off the counter, my voice soft. "I know you were worried-"

"Beyond worried," he finally sighed, grabbing me and pulling me tight against his chest. "Bella," he whispered into my hair. "I think I died a thousand deaths today…then when I saw you beating the shit out of my mother and Victoria…even though you were doing a pretty great job at keeping them at bay, I still could feel anything but horror."

"Edward," I pressed my lips to his collar bone. "I'm not made of glass. I can take care of myself without a problem."

"I know," he breathed, pressing his nose to my hair. "I just…I can't stand you being in danger."

"I wasn't," I chuckled, repeating my kissing pattern. "I think I was kicking some ass, actually."

Edward snorted, nodding as he laughed silently into my hair. He held me closer to him and I could physically feel him relax right into my arms.

"I know you were, Bella. I just…"

"You love me," I smiled up at him, touching his cheek with my fingers. "I understand. I feel the same way when you're in that ring."

Edward's eyes opened slightly in shock, as if he didn't understand this….or was just beginning to. His eyes locked onto mine, his hands shifting so that they rested on my hips. His eyes quickly flashed, growing dark and heavy. I knew that look all too well.

I slowly leaned up on my tip toes, keeping my eyes on his the entire time until our lips met. The kiss was sweet, his lips hesitant and slow but soon, his grip on me turned rough. His hands flung me up onto the counter, his knees shoving my legs apart so that he could rest in between them.

"I love you, Bella," he panted against my lips.

His strained erection rubbed against my aching core, making me groan softly against his lips. My hands gripped at his hair tightly.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered back.

I could feel his hands shifting up my body, under my shirt, until he brushed against my breasts. His warm skin felt good against my still damp body, thanks to the cool rain I had been drenched in. I had changed into some sweats but my skin was still cold to the touch.

"Bella, I-" he began, only to be interrupted by a loud ding of the door bell of the pent house ringing.

Edward and I both parted from each other without hesitation, rushing towards the door. Alice hadn't been at Edward's mother's house. She would've been outside when the fight went down if she was.

Edward was the first to reach the door, ripping it open to reveal Alice's tiny body remaining in the doorway.

"Alice?" he whispered.

His body had relaxed seeing her there but her head was hung low, her long hair now gone and replaced with very sort and badly cut chin length tresses. Her body was pale and dirty, the inside of her arms covered with bloodied, jagged marks that could only be from needles. She had on dirtied clothes and a pair of worn flip flops as she swayed form side to side unsteadily.

"Ali?" Edward's voice wavered as he stepped forward.

Alice lifted her face, making me gasp in horror. Alice's face was black, red and blue. Her eyes so swollen that they were clamped closed.

"Oh my god," I gasped.

"Edward," Alice groaned, falling forward into her brother's arms.

"Shit!" Edward hissed, pulling her into his arms. "Bella, close the door!"

He lifted her into the kitchen and out of my sight as I did what he asked. I quickly followed behind, though, reaching the kitchen right as Edward was lying her down on the counter. He placed his hands on Alice's face gently, tears falling from his eyes.

"Ali," he coaxed her calmly. "Ali, sweetheart. Can you tell me what happened?"

Alice let out a troubling groan, garbled and dry.

"Victoria…Elazer…" Alice sighed and sobbed.

"E-Elazer? Victoria's boyfriend? What did that asshole do?" Edward seethed.

"Edward," I cut in, pushing him away from Alice gently.

I didn't know who they were talking about but I did know that this wasn't someone Edward liked very much. I looked down at Alice's body, examining every cut and bruised as firmly as I could with my eyes. I didn't want to cause her anymore pain then she was in.

I pulled my Black Berry off it's charger a few feet away and dialed the only person I knew who could help.

"Hello?" Rosalie's voice came on happily.

"Rose," I probably sounded frantic.

"Bella? What's wrong? You sound-"

"Rose, I need your help."

"What's going on?"

"It's Alice. She's hurt. Can you come over quick?"

"I'll be there in five."

I hung up, looking around as I saw Edward pacing back and forth. His lips were moving so fast, his words so soft that it almost looked as if he were praying. I took a hesitant step towards him, but stepped back to focus on Alice.

Who was Elazer and what did he do?

Rosalie was at the apartment quicker than I could have believed, carrying her nursing first aid she always kept back at our old apartment and a bag of other things. As soon as she inspected Alice, she nodded.

"Edward," Rosalie's tone was firm. "Do you have a tub?"

Edward didn't answer. He simply stared at Alice, tense and void of any emotion.

"Yes," I answered for him. "There's one in his bathroom."

"Bella, do you think you can carry Alice since Edward doesn't seem to be in the state?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "No problem."

I knew it wasn't the most lady-like trait I had, being able to lift things twice my weight but at the moment Edward didn't seem to be responding. I lifted Alice into my arms bridal style and rushed her into Edward's bathroom. Rosalie was right behind me the entire time, locking the door behind us.

Alice groaned and sobbed again as soon as I set her in the tub. She was in so much pain.

"Get her out of those clothes," Rose demanded, handing me some scissors.

She rolled up her sleeves as I did what I was told and ran the warm water after I was done. She reached out and fingered Alice's now butchered hair gently.

"They cut it off," I whispered shakily.

Alice was so young and fragile. She had been taken advantage of and abused, making the fire inside of me only burn that much more.

"How could they do something like this?" I sobbed.

Rose gripped my arm tightly, making me gasp as she glared at me.

"She doesn't need this right now, Bella. It's bad enough her own fucking brother is out of it right now. She doesn't need it from you too."

She was right. I needed to get a hold of myself.

I nodded and started helping Rosalie as best I could. We filled the tub half way with warm water, Alice lying naked as we cleaned her and her wounds. I worked on her face while Rosalie worked on her body. Rosalie had gone through four years of nursing training and school. She was used to things like this and was very professional. Alice was too close to me, so I couldn't do it. Too personal.

The cloth I used on Alice was filled with dried blood and dirt once I was finished, exposing the true nature of her wounds. Alice's eyes were sealed almost completely, bruises lining almost every inch of her beautiful face. She wouldn't have been recognizable if I hadn't known her well enough.

"Bella," Alice groaned.

"I know, Ali," I whispered, trying to hold back sobs. "I'm here. I'm going to take care of you."

"Bella," she coughed again. "I'm s-sorry."

"Shh," I sniffled. "Ali, don't worry about it. There's nothing to be sorry for."

"Love you….Bella," she pleaded, tears falling from her slightly opened eyes.

"I love you too, Ali."

"She was drugged," Rosalie said, examining her brutally opened arms. "Probably heroine. Looks like she fought them."

"Is she going to be alright?"

"She'll go through withdrawals for a few days but there's no infection. We got to this just in time."

"What about all the other cuts and stuff?"

"Minor. It looks like she just got a pretty bad beating."

"I knew something bad was going to happen," I whispered to myself.

"Let's just get her cleaned up and then we can let her rest. Maybe you can find a way to snap Edward out of his fucking comatose state?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

After Ali was all cleaned up, we dried her off and got her into some clothes of hers before I put her into her bed. Rosalie stayed with her while I took a deep breath and made my way back out into the apartment.

"Edward?" I called.

I looked everywhere, only to find the front doors to the apartment that lead to the elevators swung open. Edward was gone.

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**Next chapter up...idk! Hard to tell with two babies but i will try to make it with in a week or two? love you guys!(:**

**-foreveryoungfighter**


	19. Chapter 19: Succumb To the Blows

**Something Worth Fighting For  
Chapter 19. Succumb to the Blows**  
**Edward POV**

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**Hey guys! I know, long time no write! But Happy Mother's Day! The baby is doing great, the both of my kids keeping me busy. I've been swamped lately, just getting off of maternity leave and back at work. For Mother's Day my husband took my kids off my hands for the day so I could get some much needed rest so I took a nap and began to write! Good day, huh?I'm starting to get back into the groove of things and in about a week I'm going to be on break again so I can use up all the vacation days I have accumulated at work which means…more updates! Yay! Don't give up on me guys! I'm still here!**

**Well, enough of the talking, more reading, right? Yay!**

**Let's get to it!**

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My car lurched, my engine silent but obviously working overtime with the speed I was willing it to move. Traffic was sparse thanks to the rain, something not even the cabs liked to weather through. I refused to blink keeping my eyes on the road ahead of me but not because of conditions I was driving through. I kept them wide and alert so that I wouldn't have to see the image that flashed behind my eyelids. I flinched even thinking of Alice's tiny, broken form. Her hair that had once been down to her lower back had been chopped off with unsteady, angry hands so that it remain almost as short as mine with jagged locks hanging astray everywhere. Her clothes were full of dirt and blood but who it belonged to, I wouldn't care to know. Her eyes were sealed shut from the black eyes she had been served while every inch of her was covered in dirt, blood, bruises and cuts.

Vomit raised in my throat, making me take in deep breaths through my nose as I swallowed it down.

_You didn't protect her, _the voice in my head screamed. _You were supposed to protect her and you didn't. You left her there all alone!_

"NO!" I roared, throwing my Ferrari into another gear so that my car was defying the fucking sound barrier.

I tried to clear my mind but I couldn't. I was seeing red, thinking of what Alice had said. About Elazer and Victoria. Elazer wasn't any friend of mine. Never had been. I had known him as a kid but hadn't spent any time with him since all he did was fuck everything that moved and snorting coke if he wasn't selling it. Victoria had somehow gotten spun into his web by our senior year in high school and had been stuck to him since.

Victoria had never been a good person. If she wasn't lying on her back with her legs split open she was hustling for cash in all the wrong ways. A wild child that even my own parents couldn't tame with their strict ways after taking her in for a couple of months. They couldn't do anything but throw her out after her constant partying and bringing guys in. Me and Alice were only kids then.

Bella knew nothing of my family. She knew how majorly fucked up I was and now how badly my mother and Victoria were but she knew no details. She didn't know what caused my mother to turn to drugs so quickly. Bella didn't know that once upon a time my mother would have never let herself sink into the world she now belonged to. Bella was a good person and so easy to love. And by some strange miracle she loved me back. I wondered what she would think of me after what I was about to do but I couldn't listen to that part of my brain right then. I would back down if I thought about that and I couldn't allow myself to do give in.

My hands clenched onto the wheel so tightly that I could see the skin on my knuckles was a yellowed white color. By the time I reached Jersey I was sure I had at least cracked the wheel. Rain was still pouring out but I didn't care as I flung my car into park and shoved myself out into the rain. The red bricked apartments that I had passed by a hundred times over when I was a kid looked far more damaged then they had been five years ago but I knew the type of people that lived and owned the place. They let the place be over run by drug lords and thieves.

A place that the scum of the earth remained. What they called home.

I don't remember getting out of the Ferrari or running up the sopping wet iron steps that were lined with dried blood and angel dust. I don't remember being sopping wet from the rain or kicking in the warped wood door with the number 15 on it or the splinters it turned into.

I just remember flying on rage. I remember watching someone fling themselves across the tiny, filthy apartment I once used to hang out in on occasion. I remember storming inside, screaming something even I couldn't recognize and finding him. Elazer was crouched in some corner of his living room in nothing but a greasy white wife beater and some filthy looking boxers.

I grabbed him by the shirt he was wearing, his disgusting grey eyes wide with horror…and knowing. He knew what he had done and now he was going to pay. For every fucking thing he had ever done in his life that wasn't good, he was going to pay. But most of fucking all, he was going to pay for what he had done to my sister. My baby sister.

"Edward?" he stammered, clawing at my hands that now had him pinned against a wall. "W-what are you doin' man? What are you doin'?"

My breathing was ragged, every ounce of blood in my body pumping so fast that I was practically seeing red.

"You know exactly why I'm here, Lazer," I spat. "You. Are. Going. To. Pay."

Everything tensed up in my body before it relaxed, everything moving in fast forward and then slow motion. My arm came back quickly but as I snapped it forward, my knuckles smashing into ugly face over and over until his blood splattered onto my face.

"You hurt my sister," I growled, taking a minute to see my handy work. "My fucking sister! I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!"

His face was in shambles, eyes swollen shut and nose bleeding from it being broken for sure.

Everybody who knew me, even if it was just my name that they knew, knew that my sister was the most important thing to me. The only part of my life that seemed to still be good. Pure. Then Bella came along and now it seemed like everything was falling into place but then this fucktard comes in and tries to tear apart every little bit of good I have left in my life. He would pay.

He would pay for all the lives he ruined by selling crack on the corners. He would pay for what he had done to my sister and every other girl he had ever been cowardly enough to put his hands on. He was going to pay for ever being born.

I swung harder, every bad thing he had ever done flashing into my mind. My knuckles were sore and probably bleeding from bits of the ass's teeth in them but I couldn't stop. I thought about Bella and how she kicked my mother and cousin's ass. I thought about what a shitty childhood we had and how hard I had to fight to keep food on the table at just fifteen. I thought about how disappointed Alice was every Christmas and birthday I couldn't afford to get her a gift, cake or tree and then I thought about how hard she would try and cover her sadness.

Every shitty thing that ever happened in my life flashed through my mind, fueling my rage and egging me on until we wasn't there anymore. I wasn't inside. I was outside, someone holding me back and dragging me into the rain as I kicked and fought to no avail. That's when I heard him.

"Edward!" he screamed over and over, slowly pulling me back to reality and further into the down pouring rain outside. "Calm down, son. Calm down!"

I trashed, punching and kicking until finally…it clicked. I knew this voice.

I stopped, breathing hard as I looked up at the face of the man who had dragged me out of what would probably be a crime scene soon.

"Carlisle?" I panted.

His blue eyes were clear and filled with relief, his own breath heavy from my struggle. He was sopping wet, his long blonde hair hanging down into his face with his arms still around me.

"Yeah, Edward," he sighed in relief. "It's me. It's me."

I had never once in my life cried. I had never allowed it. I would fight to the death rather than let anyone see me cry…but Carlisle was different. He knew everything. I trusted very few people more than I trusted Carlisle. He was the only dad I had ever known or ever would know.

I broke down sobbing, my body jolting up as Carlisle caught me. His arms embraced me welcomingly, knowing exactly what I was feeling.

"Carlisle," I sobbed loudly, almost screaming. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"No, Edward," he patted my back, holding onto me tightly. "You got nothin' to be sorry 'bout. Nothin'."

"I didn't keep her safe," I continued to cry. "I promised him I would keep her safe and I didn't. I promised my dad and I wasn't there. I-I-I-"

"Calm down, Ed. Calm down. You did your best. Things happen and sometimes we can't stop them. You did your best. You did your best."

I didn't think about how Carlisle found out about where I was or how he had gotten me to stop. All I cared about was that he was here and that he cared enough about me to get me to stop.

"I love you, Carlisle," I sniffled after a bit.

Carlisle stopped for a minute, stiffening up for a second before relaxing and patting my shoulder in only a way a father could.

"Whattya doin', Ed? Goin' soft on me?" he chuckled, making me snort.

"Nah," I pulled back, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. "I was always soft."

Carlisle and I both laughed lightly for a bit, standing in the mud and rain before he looked at me with serious eyes. He reached out, grabbing me for one last hug, smacking my back gently.

"I love you too, Edward," he choked out. "Like my own son. Always have."

I hugged him back hard, nodding into his bulky shoulder before pulling back.

"Thanks," I coughed.

"For what?"

"Pulling me out of there. Did I kill him?" I deadpanned.

I didn't care whether or not the fucker was dead or not.

"Not that you care," he snorted, knowingly. "But no. Pretty banged up but not dead. Probably gunna need a couple of reconstructive surgery or some frilly shit like that."

I chuckled, staring up at the window I knew led to Elazer's apartment.

"Good," I nodded. "Death would have been too fucking easy for him."

"You're right."

"How'd you find me?" I asked stiffly.

Carlisle let out a tiny breath, shaking his head before responding.

"Bella called," he said. "Told me what happened. She was scared when you wouldn't answer your phone. Said Alice kept repeating some guy named Elazer's name over and over. Figured you knew the guy and thought you would come after him. Knew this was the only place someone like that would be and the Ferrari wasn't hard to spot either."

I glanced back at my car, nodding.

"Yeah. I guess that was a good give away."

Carlisle nodded before giving me a once over, spotting the most important thing to a boxer; his hands.

"God, I hope you didn't fuck up you good hand."

"Nah," I shook my head. "It doesn't even hurt."

"Not now, but it will later."

I shrugged. "I'll just get Ben to patch me up."

"I'll call him. He's a good cut man. You're lucky he likes you enough to fix you up whenever you need it."

"I don't feel too lucky."

"You are," Carlisle snapped. "You have a girl at home that loves you, a sister who's at home safe now and good family and friends around you ready to protect you when you need it."

He was talking about what Elazer was going to say and what lie I was going to have to fabricate when he ran off to the press. I knew better, though. Elazer was too much a coward to go to the press. Sure, he could get some good money out of the story but to see if the allegations were true, the cops would have to check Elazer's background. The press would check his credibility before even thinking about running the story.

He was a crack dealer and a dope head. No one would listen to Elazer Robinson. No one.

"Brighten up, Edward Masen," he stared me down. "Because I know I haven't trained an idiot all these years. "

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**Good update? make up for all those months i was away? i sure hope so?**

**Don't worry about Elazer. He won't pop up again but some stuff is going to be coming up soon. Some hard stuff. but don't worry...it'll get worse(;**

**Next update within the next couple of days.**

Love you all!(;

**-fighter**


	20. Chapter 20: BandAids and Bandages

**Something Worth Fighting For**

**Chapter 20. Band-Aids and Bandages  
Bella Swan  
**

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**A/N: Yes, I know. I suck...**

**You've been waiting patienetly long enough, so here it is(:**

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Somewhere between midnight and three in the morning, I had fallen asleep. It wasn't a restful slumber. I wasn't even tired when Alice had begged me to lie down with her but I had done it to make Ali feel better. Before long, I found myself drifting. Sleep felt like a better option then having to bare the awful thoughts of Edward out there angry and alone that were running through my mind on a constant basis. I don't know why I woke up but when I did, I saw Ali's eyes wide open and brimmed with tears. Our hands were locked between us, each of us facing each other. Her tiny hand was gripping onto mine with such force that for a minute I thought that that may have been what had woken me up but when I heard her soft little whimpers penetrating the silent air of Edward's and my bedroom.

"Ali?" I whispered gently. "Ali, you okay?"

Alice didn't reply. She simply stared at me with those large, green eyes filled with tears. Soon I noticed that she wasn't even staring at me. She was staring right through me.

I tightened my grip on her hand ever so slightly, trying my best to let her know that I was still here. To let her know that I loved her with everything I had in me. I had never had siblings but Alice seemed to be better than what my own siblings would have been like and I hated seeing her in pain.

"I'm here, Ali. Talk to me, sweetheart. I'm right here."

I reached out to touch her chopped locks, only for her to scoot forward so quickly I didn't even realize. Her tiny arm wrapped around my waist so tightly, the other still gripping onto my hand. Her head tucked into my shoulder and I wrapped my free arm around her.

"I'm sorry, Bella," she whimpered.

I kissed the top of her head gently, smoothing out her frayed locks.

"Shh, Ali," I soothed. "There's nothing to be sorry for."

She shook her head before looking up at me with sad eyes.

"I was so mean to you. I didn't mean what I said. I was just so upset. I thought…" she hesitated, letting her thought drift.

"You thought what, Ali?"

She shook her head.

"I thought now that you were here…Edward would have a new family. I thought he would forget all about me."

My heart stopped for a minute, my breath catching in my throat.

"Ali," I whispered. "How could you ever think that?"

She shrugged, only glancing up at me every now and then.

"Oh, Ali," I whispered, holding her tighter to me. "Don't ever think that. Edward and I love you so much and no matter what, Edward will always be your brother before he is my boyfriend. No matter what you want, Alice, you're brother will fight tooth and nail to get it. He will never abandon you and will _always_ love you. Always. Do you understand me?"

Alice stared up at me, nodding her small head. She squeezed my hand gently.

"Do you love him, Bella?" she asked with gentle seriousness. "My brother."

I smiled, gently chuckling.

"You know I do."

"I want you to say it."

I stared at Alice for a moment, shocked slightly at her serious tone and almost cold eyes. I took in a tiny breath, one she wouldn't hear even with our proximity and spoke.

"I love your brother more than anything. He's a good man, he loves his family and would die for you or me if he had to. Your brother is everything I could have ever asked for and more."

Alice's tiny hand gripped mine one more time, her beautiful eyes glancing at our intertwined hands carefully.

"He loves you too, you know," she whispered.

I nodded.

"I know," I agreed. "But he loves you more. He always will."

"No," she shook her head. "He loves us equally…just in different ways."

I gaped at her, never knowing this little girl could have ever been so wise. I swallowed, taking in her words when she gave me a tiny smile, let go of my hand and turned her back to me so she could fall back asleep. At first, I thought I would never make myself fall back into slumber but eventually, with Ali's words lingering in my mind, I did.

…

"Stop moving!" I smacked Alice's hands away from the masterpiece Leah was creating with Alice's now incredibly short locks.

Leah was not only a dance instructor at the downtown studio but when she had the spare time, she worked at her mom's shop a few blocks away form the studio cutting hair. She was usually the only person I trusted to touch my hair and she never ceased to amaze me with her skilled hands.

"I'm sorry!" Alice whined. "It's just itchy!"

Leah examined the last bits of Alice's hair that she had yet to cut. We had covered all mirror in the bathroom we were working in so that Alice wouldn't freak out too bad yet. She hadn't seen how badly they had hacked up her hair or her body and face. I was lucky enough to get Leah on an off day and get her over here before Alice was awake.

"What did they do to your poor hair, girly?" Leah whispered sympathetically.

Alice shot me a wide eyed glance, touching a stray lock that had now been mangled into oblivion. I crouched down slightly and reached out for her hand as Leah continued to work. I patted her hand gently, giving her the most reassuring smile I could.

"It'll be okay, Ali," I nodded. "Leah will make it look awesome. I swear."

After Alice calmed down a bit, Leah finished up and it looked awesome. Alice's hair was shorter than a bob but not exactly short enough to look like a boy's haircut. One side was shorter than the other, one side hanging slightly above her chin while she other had hardly any hair hanging at all. Leah made Alice's bangs sweep across her forehead almost artfully and she looked better then she ever had with long hair.

Alice stared at our wonder filled faces, touching her bare neck where it met her hairline. I reached over to tug the towel I had placed over the mirror, watching Alice's face. At first she showed no hint of joy or gratitude but after a quick glance my way then towards Leah she started to brighten up.

She ran her fingers through it, checking every angle she could. Her eyes grew brighter with every glance. She looked up to Leah and I, a smile wide on her beautiful little face. "I love it," she whispered.

"Great!" Leah beamed. "I knew you would. Now, girls, I have a dance class to teach in half an hour. I'll see you later Bells?" she asked, leaning in for a quick hug.

I squeezed her tight before nodding.

"Yeah. I'll text you later to see if we can get together sometime."

"Maybe you can come to a class every once and a while?" she winked.

"Definitely."

"Thank you, Leah," Alice chirped up. "I really do love it."

"I'm glad, Ali." Leah smiled.

Leah gave Alice a quick hug before waving goodbye and heading out of the apartment.

The rest of the day was spent in silence. I made Alice and I lunch but we hardly ate. Worry had sunk in after the fifty calls each of us had sent Edward's way. When his phone finally just went straight to voicemail, we gave up. Alice fluttered around the apartment anxiously, searching for things to do while I remained curled up on the couch in front of the television watching nothing particular.

"Hey," Alice's small voice startled me. "Bella, wake up!"

I hadn't noticed I had fallen asleep until she had woken me up, someone knocking at the door. The look of panic on Alice's face made me jump up from the couch so fast my head spun. The knocking grew louder and I shoved Alice behind me.

Once at the door, Alice still clinging to the back of my shirt in shock, I took one look in the peep hole before ripping the door open.

Edward stood before me, head down but I could the cuts and bruises all over. His knuckles were wrapped in healing gauze while a cut on his eyebrow and bruised cheekbone showed he had gone at whoever he had attacked head on. I'd seen the scrapes and bruises on my cousins, healing and patching them up too many times not to know exactly what they were from.

His hair was still wet from a shower and he had new clothes on. His eyes shifted up to me slowly, his green eyes full of fear. Fear of my reaction, probably but mostly fear of what had happened to Alice. I knew him well enough to see that.

"Who is it, Bella?" Alice peeked out from behind me. "Edward?"

Edward looked shocked, seeing the scraped and black eye Alice had but mostly stunned by her new hair cut. It wasn't that it looked bad, it was just very different from what it used to be. She looked like an adult now instead of a school girl. She wasn't his baby sister anymore.

"Hey, Ali," he smiled sadly at all the things they had put her though, the evidence on her skin.

"Edward!" she lurched herself at him wrapping her arms around his massive neck.

"Oh, Alice," he kissed her temple. "I'm sorry I bailed I just-"

"Don't worry about it," his sister shook her head. "It's fine. Bella took care of me. I feel much better."

"But they-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Edward," Alice shook her head. "Please?"

"Okay, Ali," he kissed her head. "Whatever you say."

I didn't say anything. Just stood there, glaring. I was beyond pissed. Alice felt the tension, as did her brother, and took it as her cue to leave. The moment her bedroom door was closed, Edward smiled my way, only infuriating me more.

"Hey, bab-" he came at me with open arms.

I stopped him easily, hitching my leg between his, hooking it around and elbowing him between the shoulder blades as he began to fall. When I caught him by the collar, his face completely in shock, I flung him against the door he had come in through. He stood there, panting and ready to protect himself this time. We probably both looked like feral animals just let out of their cages.

"How dare you," I hissed. "How fucking dare you!"

"What the hell was that about?" he coughed since I had knocked the air out of him.

"You left her here!" I screamed. "You left me to deal with your little sister! I love Alice like she's my blood but she's not! She needed her big brother, not his girlfriend and you just abandoned her. For what, Edward? To beat the shit out of some gu who doesn't even stand a fucking chance?"

"You don't understand," he grit his teeth. "You don't know what this guy could have done to her."

"But he didn't do what he could have did he?" I screeched, my eyes only seeing red. "You are her only family! That's it! She needed you and you just shut down!"

"You think I don't know what I did?" he screamed back. "You think I don't know I let her down again? I know what I did!"

"Then why the fuck did you do it?"

He sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It didn't work, ending with his fist breaking a large hole through the wall. I didn't flinch. Being around men all my life, holes in wall were just apart of the scenery. Edward let out heavy, shaky pants, his hand looking perfectly fine.

"You don't know what I come from," Edward whispered. "You don't know what it's like. I grew up raising my sister all on my own and as soon as I came into a little bit of money, I took it and ran. I still have that fucking mind set!"

"What mind set?"

His eyes went cold, zoning off towards the wall in front of him as he spoke under his breath.

"Fight or die."

I shook my head, trying to hold back the tears of anger and sadness I felt begin to bubble over. Picturing an adolescent, thin, sickly looking Edward trying to hide a tiny defenseless little Alice from the cruel world surrounding them broke my heart. But the anger of Alice's hero had only hurt her more. Edward couldn't go out and beat the shit out of everyone in the world any time he got pissed.

The man had hurt his only family, I understood that. If anyone had ever hurt Marcus, Caius or Damion, I would have been out for blood as well but at the same time, as an adult you learn to pick and choose your battles. You take care of your own before you deal with anything else. Family comes first and no matter what Edward thought, he hadn't put Alice first. He had put his own rage first and that's what pissed me off.

"This is too much," I whispered. "I have to go."

I gathered up a jacket and pulled on some shoes as fast as I could, unable to look at Edward anymore. I loved him but I just couldn't think straight. As I headed for the door, Edward's bitter voice called after me.

"Are you gunna do this every fucking time we fight, baby?" he yelled after me. "Run away to cry to your cousins every time we start a yelling match? You accuse me of not being brave? Not standing up for Alice? Try standing up for _yourself_! Not hiding behind your fucking-"

He didn't even have the chance to get the last bit out before I slugged him across the jaw, making him tumble to the ground.

"Oh _baby_, you have no idea how well I can stand up for myself," I spat, livid.

He groaned, grabbing his jaw as I started towards the door again.

"Take care of Alice." was the last thing I said before slamming the front door to his apartment behind me and sprinting all the way to Marcus's gym.

I never wanted to speak to Edward Masen ever again.

* * *

**Oh Edward, when will you learn to control that temper of yours? sigh...**

**Well, thanks for being so patient guys. I'm sorry i'm all over the place. RL sucks sometimes. New baby plus a toddler, a husband and work all take up your time.:/**

**I'll try and get another chptr up soon!(:**

**Lots of love,**

**-fighter**


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